Fleeting
by Owari
Summary: Altair/OFC. 'Altair snapped back to attention and took her face into his hands,"You are with child." He said bluntly.' Some how this fleeting affair had been changed from passing like ships in the night to being wrecked ashore. Complete. Revamped 8/9/10
1. Chapter 1

Edited 27/8/10

Hot breath scorched Altaïr's neck as he sat panting with the other leaning against him, her face rested in the crook of his neck as she tried to calm her body and regain the ability to move. He was magnificent, it didn't matter how many times they found each other he always stunned her; the great Assassin always left her boneless. "Hello, Altaïr." She laughed slightly as she felt his chest vibrate with a silent chuckle. They were inside one of the roof gardens, the orange cloth flapped lightly in the warm breeze that did nothing to cool their bodies. She had actually been resting inside when she had heard the commotion from the streets below, a few moments later a hard body barrelled into her resting spot and she found herself pinned by the Assassin – equally as surprised to find her there.

Immediately he'd crushed their lips together and wound one arm beneath her tiny waist, pulling her flush against him as his other hand tore the pins from her hair and buried it into the wavy chestnut locks. She'd moaned into his mouth and wrapped her bare arms around his neck, the force of his kiss made her head connect with the roof beneath her; he dominated the kiss further, she let him capture and suckle her tongue as their mouths slanted across the others in what was becoming a fierce kiss. No longer able to breathe, she used her small hands to grasp the white hood and yank roughly to pull him from her; he released her mouth only to continue his attack on her neck, nipping and sucking the caramel skin he found so intoxicating. His hands worked the fastenings of her red tunic with practised ease, he removed the thick leather belt from her waist before he was able to tear the clothing apart and reveal her body to his hungry eyes.

While he was momentarily distracted she took her chance to push against Altaïr's broad shoulders, he grunted once but allowed her to force him onto his back. She shrugged her shoulders quickly, allowing the tunic to slide down and off her arms, before straddling herself atop his waist, she knew he hated when she wouldn't let him lead but the fact that a man, bigger, stronger and ultimately more dangerous than her allowed himself to be ruled like this made her shiver in delight, what she'd give to have him tied down and at her mercy. A moan tore itself from her throat as she thought about it, "Do I want to know?" Her grey eyes snapped to his hazel ones, she blushed at the smirk and the raised eyebrow on his handsome face. She shook her head 'no' and went to work on his clothing; their arms interlaced as he reached to undo her chest bindings, her own fingers faltered on his belt as he cupped her breasts in his hands and stroked his calloused thumbs lightly over dusky nipples making her moan brokenly as she tried not to rub herself against his body. Altaïr frowned minutely as he took note that the skin around her nipples seemed darker, perhaps it was the light, he pulled her down to him roughly and captured her left nipple between his wicked teeth, worrying it for a moment before gently running his tongue around the abused flesh, her hands curled into fists as he began to suck lightly, then scraping his teeth over it again and again before then soothing her carefully.

He alternated from one to the other until she was so sensitive the sting made her whine and her short nails leave red trails as she pawed at what exposed flesh she could find beneath her fingers. She'd had enough of this play, her body was hot and everywhere their skin touched it burned deliciously, her mind was too foggy to even try and continue her extraction of the Assassin's robes. Altaïr had had enough of teasing her as well, he could do that whenever they next met, he knew he could force her to climax without even touching her, he had gained great satisfaction from that knowledge, knowing a few choice sentences muttered into the soft shell of her ear would have her wet and trembling for him. He pushed her body down onto his hips, biting down a moan as their sexes met through clothing, he hadn't even realised how much he'd begun to ache for her. The girl with shoulder length hair could only watch helplessly as Altaïr removed his clothing quickly, she ground her body on his as she waited impatiently, "Hurry!"

He glared at her for a brief second, if he could fuck her _through_ the clothing he wore - _that_ - is exactly what he would be doing! He reached for her hips and tugged on the black leggings she wore, his body tightened painfully when he realised the material was soaked through with her arousal as his fingers brushed against her. Pulling her flush against him, Altaïr latched his mouth onto her throat, he wasn't sure if the noise she made was caused by his mouth, her sensitive breasts crushed against his chest or from the two fingers he'd slid into her wet folds but he swallowed the sound smugly. He stroked her hot, velvety channel carefully and she keened loudly into his shoulder, she took his face into her hands and pulled him in for another long and desperate kiss, where their tongues battled and their teeth clicked together almost violently. He swallowed every sound she made as he stroked her insides and his thumb circled her swollen little bud, his body was suffering now, every instinct screaming at him to bury himself into her as deeply as possible and pound her mercilessly. She was ready, his brain told him, she was tight but surely he'd loosened her enough and she was wet enough that he wouldn't hurt her this time.

Altaïr sat up so his back was braced against the side of the garden; he'd coaxed her into holding herself up on her knees as he hurriedly released his throbbing erection from its confinements before placing his hands on her hips and guiding her over his straining manhood. She put her own hands over his, they seemed dwarfed in comparison and without giving him any sort of warning dropped herself onto him. They moaned in unison, her tight, wet warmth encompassing him, clenching him all around maddeningly, he gripped her hips tightly to stop her before he lost himself completely. She was glad for the pause, it didn't matter how many times they did this, he always felt too big, he stretched her to the point it almost hurt, she could feel every long inch of him, the mushroom head, the throbbing vein and she swore she could feel the head of him leaking deep inside her. He allowed her to rock her body back and forth slowly as she got used to him, he stroked his right hand up over her ribs, avoiding her breast as he stoked her cheek lightly, they took the brief quell of their hunger to exchange a soft gaze, it didn't mean anything, it was a look that let the other know they weren't in to deep, this was still a fleeting affair and they could stop whenever they felt like it.

Her eyes shut as he pulled out of her by about an inch before forcing his way back in, a short gasp escaped her plump, kiss bruised lips. His hand fell from her face and took residence back at her hip, only this time he stretched his hand out so his thumb barely brushed over her hidden jewel, making her gasp again and again as he slid in and out of her with faster and harder strikes. She braced herself by reaching behind her and using the Assassin's knees as leverage as she tried to keep pace with him, she never could, he was too much, he knew where to touch her, what to say, he knew her body better than she did. It hit her suddenly; she hadn't been expecting to peak so soon, somehow her climax had silently caught her unawares and a tiny spark seemed to ignite as his thumb brushed against her once again. Her body tightened, her fingers dug into his knees so hard he hissed at the pressure, Altaïr flicked his hazel eyes up to her face and heat flared dangerously in his body, her head was thrown back, chestnut waves bounced fluidly as he continued to move within her impossibly tight channel, her mouth was a perfect little circle as she let out a beautifully long and languid moan. Her body was so perfectly arched that if he had the inclination he could have laved her dusky peaks with his tongue, he shoved himself into her as far as he could, enjoying the way her walls clenched around him and he caught her as she fell limply against his chest, her hips still ground his in a way that she probably hadn't even realised she was doing it.

Once she had relaxed around him, Altaïr returned to his quick jerky rhythm, eager to join her. He wasn't done with her, she whined quietly as he worked himself in and out of her body again and again, clenching and releasing her inner muscles was all she could do in an attempt to help him finish, her arms shakily moved from their limp position at her sides to wrap around his neck and stroke any part of him she could reach. It didn't take him long to sound his climax; he crushed her tightly to himself once again filling her with deep, hard thrusts as he spilt himself inside. They didn't move, boneless, they let themselves relax and catch their breaths until she muttered an exhausted 'hello'.

"I think…" Altaïr said with a smirk, "The guards have lost me."

She smiled into his shoulder, playfully scattering kisses on the salty skin, so that had been why he suddenly bounded into her resting spot, he'd been chased and forced to conceal himself, "Perhaps, they all heard what we were doing and went away with glowing blushes?"

"Azurelle." He gave her an incredulous look; this girl always had the strangest notions, "Not everyone is as innocent as you." She raised one of her eyebrows and glanced down to where they were still joined, her body peeled from his as she moved.

"You say this, even though I have your cock deep inside me?" She'd meant to sound confident, a testament that she wasn't an innocent child but the blood rushed to her cheeks and she blushed, her grey eyes never actually straying to where his softening flesh still stretched her obscenely. Altaïr sighed, she was nine years his junior, she didn't need to prove herself as an adult to him - he knew. He pulled her off of himself; she gave a groan of discomfort and then one of great embarrassment as she felt the Assassin's essence spill out of her. The Assassin smirked as he pulled Azurelle back against his chest; her head nestled in the crook of his neck as he stroked his hands soothingly along her naked back. As much as she wanted to stay, Azurelle knew she should be elsewhere, "I should return to my sister and I'm sure Malik will be waiting enthusiastically for your return…his insults will not wait you know."

He grunted at the thought, he was supposed to have returned as soon as he'd silenced his target, he hadn't planned on meeting his little acrobat informant. They separated with what seemed like reluctance and began dressing in silence. Azurelle stood and quickly swooned to the side, she grabbed the wooden frame of the little structure to steady herself; large hands were on her waist before she'd even curled her fingers around the wood, "What is wrong?" his breathe brushed hotly against her ear, his concern barely concealed.

She swayed for a moment before righting herself, her hand gripped into his robes to keep herself upright, "I-I'm fine…" she took a few breathes, before letting him go, his hand hovered at the small of her back in case, "Lately, I have been feeling a little dizzy, like the world has turned itself the wrong way up…don't worry." She smiled at him before jumping through the orange cloth and gasping as the feeling hit her again as she fell to her knees as soon as she landed.

"Azurelle!" he was at her side, one hand on her back, rubbing in soothing circles as the other clasped her shoulder.

"I'm fine, Altaïr!" her breath came in short gasps, her eyes were screwed up tightly, her long eyelashes crushed to her lightly freckled cheeks, she was going to be sick, why? Had she caught some sort of sickness while in Acre? Maybe Jerusalem's food did not agree with her! Altaïr helped the shorter girl up; he pulled her against him to make sure she would not fall, the back of his bare fingers rested on her forehead, "Stop it! I'm not fevered…" Azurelle pulled away in discomfort, her chest rubbing against his was far too uncomfortable to bear now, even through her clothing her breasts felt sensitive and sore, her whole body tingled. She stared at Altaïr's chest; she didn't want to see his expression on her strange behaviour. She felt him rest his chin on the top of her head, a testament to how small she was compared to him. "I'm fine now, really…it was probably our joining…I did…well," she blushed a little.

"Yes, you did come quite quickly and quite hard." Came his smug answer, he knew what she was trying to say and his ego swelled greatly nearly overtaking his concern for the girl. Nearly. "The street festival is coming up soon; I have seen your troupe practice for hours in this heat." He voice deepened into a slightly disapproving rumble, "Do not push yourself." It was an order, she realised, not a request.

"I won't, the routine is perfect." She reached up and pulled his hood back into place from his shoulders, leaning up on her tiptoes to leave a chaste kiss on his lips, "Go back to your wife! He must be fuming by now." She turned away from the Assassin and ran to the ledge, her sudden nausea gone for now, and blew him a kiss before back flipping off. Altaïr stalked to the ledge and peered down; a haystack was sprawled in ruins - for such a small girl she made a terrible mess.

000

To be continued.

Hello! …that was my first 'M' I guess…wow…I wrote nipples and didn't blush! Please let me know what you think, and perhaps where I can improve.

Um, I'm a little paranoid, it seems that if you write an OC she instantly becomes Mary-sue material, this is not my intention, obviously it's too early for her to have any sort of real personality so in later chapters, if you spot her being mary-sue-ish…tell me! Thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

Edited 27/8/10

Azurelle swore when she realised she had forgotten her hairpins, damn that Altaïr! He'd probably dropped them on the roof after pulling them out and some street rat was probably peddling them as she sat outside the dirty, little inn her Troupe was calling home while they stayed in Jerusalem. Finger combing the tangled waves as best she could, the young girl could only think what she would say to the Assassin about respecting her belongings. "You look angry, little sister!" A hand came down upon her shoulder, nearly scaring the life from her.

"Nazeera!" she glared at the woman beside her, a pout fixed upon her face, "I was merely annoyed! Now," she snapped her index finger up to point out her expression, "Now, I am angry!" the woman laughed before ruffling her hair affectionately, undoing all the work she had done to neaten it. All Azurelle could do was pull her legs to her chest and pout further, she cringed a little as her body protested, she was still sore from her chance meeting with Altaïr, if she clenched her body just a little, she swore she could still feel him throbbing inside her.

"You're blushing…why?" Nazeera's sharp, chocolate eyes missed nothing when it came to her little sister; lately she'd been extra vigilant. She didn't like waking up to find her sister vomiting nearly every morning, or when, for no reason she would lose balance and fall, Azurelle was taking naps more often, she was becoming hesitant with the more difficult acrobatic feats and that was only a few of the things she'd noticed! "Have you met a boy?" the younger girl laughed suddenly at her sister's blunt question – Altaïr was far from a boy! He was a grown man, with hard muscle, a handsome face and a master Assassin to top it off.

Turning back to face Nazeera, Azurelle stopped her giggling; her sister wasn't one to be mocked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you…he's not a boy." Immediately, Nazeera's fine eyebrows rose nearly to her hairline, her pretty face hardened and her plump lips pulled into a disapproving line. It was her famous, 'what-have-you-done!' expression, the one that Azurelle wished she could pull off but never quite got the full effect of when she tried it. Despite their blood relation, the sisters were very different. Where Nazeera was tall and graceful, Azurelle was short and heavy footed, her enthusiasm always keeping her child like when compared to her seemingly mature sister. It was like comparing a daisy to a rose, seven years separated them, the older woman had become almost a mother figure for her tiny counterpart; they're only real similarities were that both were modestly curvy, their bodies perfectly sleek from hours of acrobatic training and dance practice, their faces shared enough of their mother's traits that they could be recognised as siblings easily despite there different skin colours.

Azurelle stared at her sister's face with a slight prickle of jealously, her face was beautifully oval, her eyes almond shaped and wide, her long, dark eye lashes framing them prettily; her mouth was still pulled into a line but that didn't detract from her looks… and her nose! It was perfectly straight! The woman's voice cut through her examination of the nose, "Stop it."

"Stop what, Nazeera?"

"Stop staring at my nose!" she exclaimed pushing her sister off the barrel she'd been perched on, "You have a perfectly good nose, leave mine be!" Azurelle landed on her backside with a grunt and a few choice words, she grabbed the other's ankle and smirked madly when Nazeera fell, joining her on the ground, her language no better than what had been uttered by her younger sister.

"Brat!" they playfully pushed one another until Nazeera began tickling Azurelle to the point where she was begging for mercy between breathless gasps and giggles, "You see what happens when you incur my wrath? Hmm, do you?" she released her little sister and smiled smugly when the other collapsed against her. They sat quietly for a moment, Azurelle resting her head against her sister's shoulder, her fingers absent mindedly wrapping, deep black, loose curls around her digits, it felt like soft cashmere in her hands and it tickled her bare arm just above her elbow where it hung, "So, who is this man that makes you blush?"

"Hmmm?" Azurelle hummed innocently, "Just someone who keeps passing into my life on occasion."

"Well, make sure he keeps passing, preferably passing by!" Nazeera stated firmly, "You can't trust your heart to someone who will pass you in the night like a thousand ships before…is this the one that hurt you?"

Azurelle's eyes widened at the accusation, "No! Well, yes – but it wasn't his fault!" she put a small distance between them, her face felt hot, was her sister really so observant that she knew that her supposedly innocent younger sister was no longer so innocent? "I'm an adult now, Nazeera! And it's just…" she flailed her hands in front of her in a crude imitation of what she and the Assassin got up to, her face feeling like a furnace.

"Sex – the word is sex, joining, making love…or for lack of a better word, fucking." Nazeera took Azurelle's sweet, round face in her hands and gently turned the younger girls head so she could talk to her face to face, Azurelle's grey, almond shaped eyes were averted and she chewed nervously on her lower lip. Nazeera leaned in and kissed the tiny bump on the girl's otherwise straight nose and then kissed each of her slightly freckled cheeks. "I love you, I practically raised you from a baby after mother rejected you for being the child of some dirty crusader, I am not going to judge you because you are fascinated with some man who leaves marks of passion all over your body and who makes you desperately cry out from your dre-"

"N-Nazeera!" the small brunette tore her face away and turned her body around, hugging her knees to her chest and keeping her back to her 'knows-too-much' sister. Nazeera smiled, her sister's neck was glowing from her blush! She stood up slowly and dusted herself off; the hard, dirt ground of Jerusalem was not the best place to tussle with her sibling and remain presentable, her dress was filthy now; what would her dear lover think?

Nazeera swore suddenly making Azurelle's head snap to look at her, "I'm supposed to meet him in the market district!" she composed herself quickly, "Listen, little sister! If this man ever hurts you – I promise to kill him!"

Azurelle snorted at the threat, her sister may be quick on her feet and adequate with a blade but, "How do you kill a master Assassin?" she muttered from the ground, she heard her sister stumble suddenly and turned again to see the, 'what-on-this-holy-earth-have-you-done!' look, the one where her eyes were twice their natural size and her lips were pulled so tightly in absolute loathing that they nearly turned white; a single venomous question left her mouth.

"Altaïr?"

00

A shiver raced along Altaïr's spine, it sent an uneasy feeling through him and he glanced around carefully even though he knew the bureau was safe. "What troubles you, oh great one?" Altaïr took a sharp intake of breath, though Malik's jibe was not meant in malice it still irked him.

"I'm going to murder you in your sleep, brother, and then bury you in a shallow grave with scorpions."

"And I will push you into the quay when next we pass it by." Malik grinned in smug satisfaction as a hint of fear flashed in his friend's eyes. The man had mastered everything, swords, daggers, stealth, the kill…but he could not swim. It brought the Dai great satisfaction indeed! "I am merely giving you the respect you deserve for one of your position…which seems to be the position of, 'I'll come back after I've dealt with my whore and not at once like you asked, dear Dai.'"

Without thinking, Altaïr struck out his hand and grasped the collar of Malik's robes roughly, pulling his fellow Assassin a few good inches over the desk between them, "She is not a whore!" the older man frowned at the feral expression on the other's face. Altaïr's teeth were bared and his eyes had blackened in anger, Malik removed the hand from his collar and righted himself, a cool look of disinterest across his features. For a moment Altaïr looked out of place, he relaxed his body and turned around to glare at the far wall, he leant deceptively still against the desk. "She is not a whore." He repeated firmly.

Malik sighed, "I did not mean to offend, I did not realise you had become so attached…so who is she exactly?" any woman that caused Altaïr to lose his temper over was sure to be an interesting topic.

"I have not become attached, Malik! And it does not matter who she is." he snapped, "Don't you have to meet someone soon?" Malik pursed his lips in thought, was his friend trying to change the subject? No, he did have to see someone, "Nazeera." Altaïr broke his train of thought with a smirk. It amazed Altaïr how that name caused Malik so much anguish, "I would run, she hates tardiness." The one armed man was tempted to swat the back of the other man's head but refrained, he instead spat out 'novice' before leaving the bureau hurriedly, "Safety and Peace, Malik." Altaïr chuckled as he shook his head.

00

The market district was loud, people were piling into the city for a festival of some sort, and it set Malik on edge. He had pulled his hood up, his right hand never strayed far from his blade; more people meant more hidden dangers and the high possibility of Templer soldiers. Nodding at one of his fellow brothers, they pointed him in the direction of a bench well concealed by the shadow of a building. Nazeera was sat waiting for him patiently, he had expected her to be angry so when she looked up and smiled at him Malik glanced at his fellow Assassin, the man just smirked.

"You're late, Malik."

"You only just arrived before me." She grinned, that was why she wasn't tearing him a new one. He jerked his head to the side and then blended himself in with the crowd, she stood and followed him fluidly and side-by-side they vanished into the deserted alleys. "You seem annoyed under that serene smile of yours, habiba."

Trust Malik to notice her concealed foul mood, "I need your help actually." Nazeera forced him against the rough stone and kissed him hard. Malik wound his hand into her hair and pulled her away from his mouth, "What's wrong?" she asked, her hands were made busy by stroking up and down his chest, she pouted prettily at his disapproving glare.

"I didn't call you out for this; I have a task for you." He let go of her hair, allowing her to drag her tongue across the skin of his neck, "You are insufferable, woman. Listen."

"I'm listening!" Nazeera huffed, "What is it that you want?" she leant against the wall beside him, her slender arms crossed over her chest as she waited for the Assassin to tell her what he wanted her to do. Malik sent her a sideways glance; she was definitely upset about something but seemed unwilling to share.

He reached out to stroke her cheek, his brows furrowed when she leaned away from the touch and so he told her his need, "There's a man arriving in Jerusalem tomorrow, his name is Nur-ul-Qiblatayn; he has information on the location of one of the Brotherhood's enemys. As far as we know, he's a weedy little creature that will probably break under pressure very easily." He looked at her again to make sure she was listening; only the slight incline of her head answered him. "Nakim tells me that you are performing a private show at a mansion tomorrow - Qiblatayn is your employer's guest." Nazeera flinched when Malik's fingers traced across her lips, she'd not been giving him her full attention and he'd suddenly appeared before her, his body pressing hers slowly against the wall behind her. "I need a distraction."

"I thought you hadn't called me out for such a thing."

"I meant for the rest of the guests, perform something special enough that no one will notice our targets…absence." This time, when she kissed him, he responded eagerly even as she bit his lip and scratched at the skin of his neck while trying to deepen it, instead he pulled away to continue. "Obviously you will be rewarded when our man is safely out of the home." He muttered against her neck and relished the gasp from her as his clever fingers found their way up her long skirt and caressed her thigh gently.

Nazeera growled in annoyance with how he was treating her, "Damn it, Malik! I need you now!" air whooshed out of her lungs when the taller man pinned her tightly between his body and the cold, hard stone of the building, his left knee rose between her legs forcing her onto the tips of her toes. "Malik!" freeing her hands from between them she reached for the ties that hid his growing erection from her – she wanted him now, hard and fast against the wall, she didn't even care that it wasn't discreet! "Maybe, I could dance for them tomorrow," she said with a wicked gleam in her chocolate eyes, "I could forego the usual dance and tricks," she murmured into his ear, dragging her teeth over the sensitive shell before continuing in a low, sultry voice that burned him, "for an erotic dance – there's a great, big, table in the main room, my clothes might become loose. They'd all see me, ten, no, fifteen men's eyes could drag across my skin in a way that their hands wi-Ah! M-Malik!" Nazeera's head collided with the wall as she reacted to the man grinding his knee between her legs deliciously. He wanted her to be quiet; the idea of anyone touching his prize sent a bolt of angry jealously through the Dai and she knew it!

Malik caught the hand stroking his aching flesh and guided it above her head to a ledge of a window; her other hand followed and gripped the ledge tightly as he hoisted her up onto his hips and ordering her to wrap her legs around him. Satisfied that she was safely pinned by his body, Malik pushed her skirt out of his way and without any sort of warning pushed his way into her wet, hot core. She nearly cried when he began a fast and brutal pace, she needed a way to spend her irritation, something that would force her mind into blank nothingness where nothing could touch her; except Malik - this was perfect! "Please!" the dark eyed Assassin groaned at her quiet pleas, he didn't know what she was asking for and his brain just wouldn't allow him control over anything but his snapping hips, as long as he was ploughing in and out of her tight, wet heat and making her choke the word out with every move. His beard scratched the sensitive skin of her neck as he left red bruises and teeth marks in the burnt caramel skin, his single grip on her was leaving angry bruises through her dress and he wished he had his left arm back just so he could pull and push her body harder against himself. "Malik, Malik!" she'd lost the feeling in her fingers from holding herself up for him but the red hot spike coiling deep inside her stomach was telling her it didn't matter, she needed to come and he was pushing her towards it. Abruptly, her orgasm crashed into her so violently that she bit down hard on Malik's left shoulder; he snarled viciously, crushing her into the wall and impaled her as deeply as he could he as he chased after her his own end.

Nazeera sucked as much air into her lungs as she could, Malik had leaned his full weight against her as he panted hard into the crook of her neck, the nails digging into his back made him pull away far enough for her to breathe again, her legs unwrapped themselves from around his hips and slid down his legs to the ground. She didn't let go of him, would her legs even hold her weight? "What," Malik began, his breathing barely returned, "Did I do to deserve such treatment?" he was referring to his shoulder, thank goodness that there were two layers of clothing to protect his skin from her teeth.

"Sorry." Flicking her dark hair behind her, Nazeera kissed his shoulder again and again, her hand sliding up his ribs until it rested on the space his arm used to be, "It was that or scream so loud that every man, woman and child would come rushing out to see!"

"So, tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow we will put on a display that will allow ten of your brothers to sneak in undetected!"

He chuckled at her enthusiasm, "It will only be Altaïr." Malik blinked in surprise at her body tensing against him and she pushed against his chest eager to get away, "What is it?"

Her eyes darkened with her expression, "Altaïr is sleeping with my little sister…pick another Assassin or hire a new distraction!" so that was the reason for her anger, he sighed in understanding.

000

**It's now 4 am…so tired.**

Allow me to be a novice for a moment: So this is set about a year after Altaïr buggered off with Maria for his little trip, I haven't played bloodlines so I'm making it up as I go along! So he returned and he's sort of milling around with Malik for a while before they decide what to do with the brotherhood. Ta Da…yes, this is going to be lame! : D

Review thank yous!

WhatEverLoz: Thank you! Yup my first 'M' and it only took…oh say, five hours!

draconisnoire43: I hope I don't taint the awesomeness that is Assassin's Creed for you! I hope I keep you interested!

Shadownip: Here, have a cookie.

Portable Orgy: Thank you for the review. The name isn't a real name at all, rightly spotted! It was a freak, mutation of Azure, the colour and Gazelle, which is a birdie. I liked the name. I just tried to think, what a seven-year-old Nazeera would call her baby sister and it kind of fit.


	3. Chapter 3

Edited 27/8/10

Altaïr sat silently against the pillows and rugs at the bureau; he'd made himself a sort nest not long after Malik had left and proceeded to pass the time away studying a few texts he'd found on his travels, why a seemingly benign looking old lady was selling recipes for poisons was a mystery to the Assassin but he was grateful she'd let him have them for so little. At some point he'd had to light a few candles, night had closed in unexpectedly around him and Malik returned silently just before the sky blackened completely – he'd said nothing; his interest seemed to be in finishing a report in the other room. Altaïr assumed he was licking his wounds from a lecture he no doubt received from the ever-temperamental Nazeera and left him alone. "Altaïr…" The others voice carried through the silent bureau, it seemed Malik had recovered his tongue.

The hazel-eyed Assassin put down his things and wandered through, he leaned against the doorway studying his friend. Malik had his head in his hand; he looked tired – old even, perhaps being trapped in the bureau for so many years was wearing him down. Had he been sat here in the barely lit room all this that time? "What is it? Has something happened?" he strode into the room, a crease between his brows and a frown set on his lips, "Malik?" Altaïr stood before him and yet the other had not spoken.

This wasn't an easy thing to plan out, how did you tell your most treasured friend to stop seeing someone because your woman was upset by it. Of course Nazeera was upset! Though Malik had long forgiven Altaïr for the loss of his left arm and his brother's life, she had not; possibly she never would. She hated Altaïr with a passion nearly as strong as her defiant nature, if Altaïr was in love with Azurelle, perhaps she would be more forgiving – but he wasn't, so Nazeera wanted him as far away from her baby sister as possible before any real damage was done. Malik had to agree; Altaïr was going to break her heart in the long run. "This girl you are chasing, her name is Azurelle isn't it?" Malik took note of Altaïr's suddenly alert expression, had it really been such a well-guarded secret all this time? Wasn't it a nothing affair?

"Has something happened to her?" the Assassin's body went rigid, he'd only seen her a few hours ago, something in the back of his mind kept niggling away at him about her behaviour and the changes he'd noticed, "is she ill?" Malik looked up at him owlishly, was Altaïr worrying over his little fling? "Malik! Tell me!"

The darker man sat up, the faintest of smirks gracing his features and his eyes glittered with genuine interest as he leant back, "I thought she was not important? If she is sick, Nazeera told me nothing of it; she did, however, tell me my fortunes if I don't stop you from seeing her. Altaïr, what are you doing? Azurelle's a child!"

"She's nineteen."

"Eighteen. And she is practically my little sister!" He'd known her for eight years, wherever Nazeera went she had a little grey eyed shadow with her, Altaïr was messing around with a girl Malik had watched grow up; not to mention Kadar had always adored her and insisted on looking after her whenever possible. "Leave her alone, Altaïr. If you don't we are going to lose our main source of outside help."

"You mean you are going to lose your main source of sex." Altaïr glared down at the other Assassin, what right did he have to tell him whom he saw in his own time. Their friendship was shaky at the best of times but this seemed ridiculous – Malik was only using Nazeera as an informant because it kept the woman near, their own Assassin's, novices included, were perfectly able to gather their own information! He'd already called the Dai up on his strange choice after he'd returned from his travels across the world, the only reason he'd allowed it was because he was trusting Malik's decisions while he was gone, they were going to work together to lead the Brotherhood. "We don't need them anyway, only Nazeera and Azurelle are aware that they are helping us – their Troupe is non-plussed!"

Malik stood up abruptly, his chair clattered to the ground from the jerky movement, "you seem to be confusing your sleazy affair involving a girl nine years younger than you with my actual relationship with Nazeera!" they glowered solemnly at each other, the desk keeping them at a short distance apart, this wasn't how Malik wanted it to be, he was hoping that Altaïr would just agree and that would be the end of it. But no, he had to be difficult; he always had to be stubborn and impossible! "Must you take this from me too?"

Altaïr was taken aback by the sound of defeat in the other's voice, the fall of his head in what seemed like a terrible submission and he once again seemed tired. Sighing, Altaïr looked at the older man, guilt clutching maddeningly inside his chest; Malik was tired. Tired of being stuck in the tiny bureau of Jerusalem, tired of being Altaïr's second in everything, tired of not being able to do anything more than watch from the side lines and he was taking it out on Altaïr.

"That's not fair…if I could restore your arm and give you back Kadar, I would…you know I would!"

"I do know. And no, it is not fair." He looked up to meet hazel, a sting stabbed through him at the guilt-ridden look he saw but he had to ignore it. "Something else that isn't fair is you using a young, naïve girl as a substitute for that Templer woman you were left by at the docks. If she returns will you leave Azurelle in the dust for a woman you spent nearly three years travelling with? Or was Maria also a nice little distraction?" Malik sighed, "Altaïr, I care for Nazeera, I love the annoying nit even! When the time comes she will be coming with me to Masyaf!" Altaïr blinked in surprise, he'd known Malik was serious about the woman but not that serious! "Listen to me, Altaïr…are you really going to destroy me so thoroughly for a girl you say is nothing to you?" it shamed him to utter such a thing, he knew it hurt Altaïr to hear but it was for the best – he'd convinced himself it was for Azurelle's sake more than for his and Nazeera's own. "Girls, Azurelle's age, are foolish, what will you do when she falls in love with you?"

What would he do? It was nothing, wasn't it…an affair that was supposed to be fleeting, a way for two people who maybe came across the other every now and then to lose themselves. For six months he and the acrobat had skirted cautiously around each other, like two ships wary of crashing into the other and sinking into the ocean if they became too close, they passed each other instead; flirting, kissing, fucking, but never closer than that. They didn't walk hand in hand down the streets, they never knew when next they'd meet and neither cared to look for the other…he cared for her of course, she was like any other member of the Brotherhood, a family member that deserved respect and care. He would not abandon her completely but perhaps it was best to stop now – before something like a silly girl's feelings would sink them both. "Very well." Altaïr agreed, he leant over the desk and rested his hand on Malik's shoulder, "I will do as you ask…just make sure Nazeera's part in this is explained to her sister should things go wrong."

Malik nodded once, his hand reaching up to squeeze Altaïr's firmly, "Thank you…surely it is better this way?"

00

"Nazeera! You're becoming sloppy with your footwork! Nikeel! Higher, boy! You perform like that later and I'll leave you here!" The acrobatic Troupe was practicing for later on that morning, the man yelling was their master, Gyani, a tall, middle-aged man originally from India with a lifetime's knowledge of performing arts, acrobatics, ballet, song and dance. He knew what he was talking about when he yelled at them and so they never complained – especially as he fed them, provided them with clothing and shelter; they worked to pay him back. "Azurelle! What is wrong with you, girl?" He marched over to where she was hunched on the ground, "you picked a fine day to be sick!" he yelled and hauled her up by her arm.

As horrible as he seemed to outsiders, he did care about the people who worked under him, but he expected to be paid back double for what he had spent to keep them alive, so when his little protégé kept letting him down, he couldn't help but be angry with her.

"Master!" Nazeera had appeared behind him and placed her hands on his shoulder, "She just needs rest…we've been out here at dawn until late into the afternoon every day for nearly a month! You know she is capable enough to miss a little practice…she will be too burnt out by the time the festival comes if she doesn't rest more!" he let Azurelle go, Nazeera was right; he'd been working them harder than ever even though he knew his Troupe was infallible. He just wanted people to see what this little family could do.

He looked at the two girls in defeat, Azurelle had been raised by his wife until she had died and Nazeera was very much a daughter to him, if she had been older he probably would have married her! "Fine," he conceded and called them all to attention, "Collect your costumes and make-up, our customer has prepared a room for you to get ready in." They had just less than three hours until they were expected to delight a room full of people, it wouldn't hurt to be early. Gyani took a moment to yell at one of the younger members about his posture when being thrown into the air, 'people don't want to see a shit scared acrobat!' The Troupe consisted of seven performers; six dedicated to flipping, flying, balancing and awe inspiring feats of which included Azurelle, song and dance was wholly dominated by Nazeera, one of the taller men often accompanied her when he wasn't balancing on his twin's head single handed.

A boy close to Azurelle's age came up beside the girl with a frown, "What is wrong, sister? Did you eat something bad?"

"I don't think so, Nikeel…it's like Nazeera said, I'm just exhausted…it'll pass by the time we're ready to amaze those rich bastards at the mansion!" She gave him a bright smile and ruffled his hair affectionately; he returned her smile before running off to speak with his friend. She was aware that her older sister was hovering behind her, "Go away, I am not talking to you."

"Doesn't sound like it." Came the rebuff, "Can we not behave like adults? Angry words were said and you can't blame me for hitting the roof! My baby sister is off having sex with Assassins on roofs! It isn't exactly what I had hoped for you."

"Assassin. One!" Azurelle snapped, her stare set straight ahead as she followed everyone else, "besides, you said I was a child so I will behave like one for you." She was not going to forgive the woman for speaking to her like she was a cheap whore the day before.

00

Cheering and gasps of delight filled Altaïr's ears as he slipped in through the large arched window of the room being used as the Troupe's dressing room, no one would be coming in for a while by the sounds coming from the main room. He slipped out of the door and kept himself close to the wall, Malik had told him there were no guards inside, all he had to do was not be seen and get his hands on Nur-ul-Qiblatayn – and his most specific order from Malik; do not let Nazeera spot him. The woman was beginning to really fray his patience. He looked into the room just in time to see Azurelle thrown into the air, nearly touching the high ceiling as she somersaulted gracefully before being caught by one of the other men, who then helped her onto an identical man's shoulders as they set up for the next feat. Altaïr couldn't help an approving nod of his head; she moved better than any of the other Assassins, she ran faster across the rooftops too. He saw his target sat on the sea of pillows that littered the room, Nazeera was beside him, her hand stroking along his shoulders as she offered him a drink. She was supposed to drug his drinks until he felt queasy enough that he'd have to leave his company, the dressing room was the closest room should he decide to lose his breakfast, which is where Altaïr would strike; with a last glance at the man he returned to his hiding spot behind the door.

From the yelling, Altaïr assumed the first part of the act was done, so, where was his man? He hated to be kept waiting for something as trivial as this. Rushed footsteps sounded in his ears and he sprung into action, his body moving with practised ease. The door opened and a colourful blur burst into the room, the Assassin let his body lead, his right hand covered the others mouth, his left gripping their neck tightly; part of him wanted to snap the small neck but he needed information first. He noticed the lack of a struggle and soon realised he'd been, in Malik's words, a complete novice. "What are you doing here?" Altaïr hissed angrily but let the brunette go, he watched her cross the room – what was she doing? He ignored Azurelle; it was her dressing room after all. Instead he peeked out of the doorway where music was drifting through, that weedy little bastard was still sat smiling and laughing with the other men, "Why is he not reacting to the herbs in his drink?"

"Because he's not drinking anything!" came the rough reply from behind a curtained off part of the room, most likely where they'd changed clothing in privacy, he frowned as she coughed loudly and it sounded as if she was having trouble breathing before she replied, "he's not thirsty, it's all too exciting for him apparently." Altaïr huffed, at this rate he'd have to hope Qiblatayn liked to walk alone in the streets! "Altaïr…" her voice was quiet and the Assassin had to strain his ears to hear her muffled voice through the curtain. He made a noise in the back of his throat, not wanting to move from the door in case his fortunes changed, "There's a jug of water beside you, the one with lemons floating in it…can you bring me some?" there was a silent pause and then, "please."

He hesitated for a moment, why didn't she do it herself? He was on a mission; he didn't have time to play around with the brunette. "Are you still feeling unwell?" Azurelle didn't answer him, he took that as a 'yes', doing as she asked and pulling the curtain aside the Assassin could only stare down at her. She was sat in the corner, arms crossed over her stomach, knees against her chest, and her head rested on top of them. "I told you to rest." Azurelle raised her head to look back at the Assassin, a small smile on her painted, red lips; all around her eyes was decorated with tiny gems and a strange blue powder that matched the pins and decorations in her bunched up hair.

She noticed his eyes linger at her hair, "And I've told you about respecting my belongings, I had to buy new hair pins because of you." He handed her the cup and she sipped gingerly at it as her stomach turned over and over; her face scrunched up at the taste of lemon but it was better than bile. "Thank you." The acrobat stood up carefully using the wall for support, she couldn't hide here all day, Gyani would be furious with her if she didn't appear in time for the next part of the act.

Altaïr couldn't help letting his eyes wander all over her body, the outfit she wore was very flattering to say the least; it was made from satin, a deep blue with silver motifs across her hips, she was sewn into the skimpy outfit from the back, from the base of her spine to her neck she was wrapped. There was a loose skirt in silver that barely covered the tops of her thighs obviously there for decoration and that was all she wore. Nothing more covered her frame, "I'm surprised that your lack of clothing did not have every man in that room follow you back," of course he would have killed every one of them but that was beside the point. "A-Altaïr…don't! There isn't much to this and it stains very easily." He'd leant down and nuzzled her neck, his stubble grazing her skin – she smelled amazing, was it her hair or perfume?

"I won't leave anything on your clothing." She punched his shoulder; he knew what she meant! Barely concealing his smug smile, Altaïr pulled his head away but kept his arm wrapped around her waist, his other hand was busy tracing foreign patterns along the smooth material across her ribs and then her stomach where he stopped dead. That wasn't normal.

"How about I lure him in here!" she suggested suddenly, not noticing how he had tensed up and was now using both hands to feel her mid section, his eyes had widened slightly and a tremor invaded his hands making him want to tear the gloves off just so he knew he wasn't wrong. "Altaïr, are you listening to me?" no, he wasn't; he'd heard her but his mind wasn't processing her words, only the very miniscule change in her body, what had she said yesterday? Lately she'd been feeling sick, dizzy, then there was the physical evidence, her body was more sensitive, especially her breasts and now in his hands a very small but definite bump. It was barely even noticeable. "Come back to me!"

Altaïr snapped back to attention and took her face into his hands, "You are with child." He said bluntly.

"What?" Azurelle exclaimed, what was he talking about – did she hear him right? She opened her mouth to ask him to repeat himself when the room's door opened and whoever it was screamed:

"ASSASSIN!"

000

3.33am…and I started typing at 4 pm…good old procrastination! I'm at work tomorrow so don't hope for chapter four anytime soon!

WhatEverLoz: _**Anything**_ with Malik involved is just epic! Here, eat this bag of virtual cookies!


	4. Chapter 4

Edited 27/8/10

It was Nikeel who had screamed, his eyes had grown so large that Azurelle feared they would fall out of his sockets and he would not stop yelling! She looked at Altaïr nervously, what could they do? They couldn't hurt him! The people in the other room could be heard getting up and yelling for the guards outside. "Scream." Altaïr muttered under his breath, Azurelle looked at him in confusion for a split second before understanding his plan and following through with what sounded like a scared scream. The Assassin winced; his ears would be ringing for hours! Pushing her away roughly he escaped through the large window.

"There he is! Get him!" the acrobat landed on the soft bed of the room, she glanced nervously out of the window where the yelling was increasing – what if he got caught? "Sister! Are you alright, did he try to kill you? Did he hurt you?" Nikeel was looking her over with a great deal of worry in his boyish features, behind him Gyani was also giving her the once over, he couldn't afford for her to be injured. Some of the guests were asking her 'what happened?', 'was it an Assassin?' and 'what did he want?' they were crowding her, their words jumbling into one and then there was Nikeel who sat beside her shaking her slightly because she would not answer him. Finally Nazeera cut through the men, not realising how relieved Azurelle was to see her, she jingled her way forward, the bangles and jewels adorning her arms and the yellow silk sari she wore making the noise, the black haired woman shooed the boy away and wrapped her arms around her sister.

"Gentlemen, why don't you retire back to the other room, the Assassin is gone – probably skewered by an arrow," she silently hoped that was so, she'd seen Altaïr when he'd first checked the room; Malik was a dead man. "It was probably a thief!" Nikeel objected loudly to her suggestion, he continued to claim that it was an Assassin. Nazeera glared at him and hugged the brunette closer to herself, "Stop it! You're upsetting her!" she cuddled the girl and rocked her gently, "don't cry, silly, he's gone now."

Azurelle frowned; her sister was taking this act a little far wasn't she? They had managed to convince everyone to leave them alone and that everything was going to be fine.

"Are you in trouble, my friend? An Assassin in your home!" both women perked up, Qiblatayn was talking to the man who employed them for the day, "ah! It does not matter, I know people, people who will erase scum like that! If you are truly worried my friends will be here in just a few days – you can talk!" he continued to talk to the man but Gyani suddenly appeared in front of the two women and they lost sight of the lanky man.

"We are done here, our employer says everyone's too tense now…still, we were paid in full; not a complete loss" he sighed deeply, it was almost as if he were disappointed that they didn't get to finish, "You." He said to Azurelle, "don't you dare get any tears on either of your costumes!" with that said he left the room; perhaps he could convince their employer to reconsider.

They sat quietly for a moment until they were certain no one else would come, Nazeera leant back, her head tipped so she could stare at the ceiling. "That was close! I told that stupid boy to leave you alone, 'oh but what if she's sick in her hair'" she imitated his voice, clearly annoyed at him for blowing their entire plan – and just as that bastard Qiblatayn had taken a sip of his wine! "Beautiful touch with the tears, I didn't know you could act so well!" she clapped Azurelle on the shoulder and grinned, she was quite proud of that little performance; they'd even got some information to give to the Brotherhood!

"W-why _am_ I crying?" she burbled out, her hands touched her cheeks and she couldn't understand why they were wet! She wasn't sad, she wasn't hurt, so why was she sitting here with tears streaming down her face? She began pulling up her knees but let them go suddenly as they brushed her stomach, it was flat and she couldn't see or feel anything strange. "Altaïr…he…he said – no…oh no!"

Nazeera frowned and sat up. Surprised to hear her sister's confused words and then her sudden denial of something Altaïr had done, what had he done? The only thing Nazeera could think of was that the Assassin had called off the affair with Azurelle and that she was now upset. What an idiot! He could have done it somewhere else, maybe chosen his words better – what had he said to her? "I can't believe that fool! What did he say to you? If I had known he was going to break it off with you today, I'd have been here!" was that why Malik had sent Altaïr, so he could have a moment to break the girl's heart!

"Today?" Azurelle stood up and spun to stare wide eyed at her sister, "What do you mean? 'Break it off'? What are you talking about?" her outburst shocked the other. "Tell me!"

"Malik told me that he was going to stop seeing you…when I went to the bureau earlier, I didn't expect him to do it right away!" she watched Azurelle shake her head in disbelief, her sister had bullied Malik into ordering Altaïr away from her? Looking like a child who had lost its mother and didn't know where to look. The older woman suddenly felt ashamed, had Azurelle really liked Altaïr so much? If so, what right had she had to force them apart prematurely? "Azurelle, I'm sorry."

"What are you apologising for?" she yelled suddenly, "We were just fooling around with each other; we're not even in love! You don't even like him! I didn't expect it to last but now…if…if what he said…" she paced the room, Nazeera looked at her warily, confused at what it was she was missing, her sister suddenly yelling, "he's wrong!" before she climbed onto the window ledge, there was a lower balcony below where she could reach the street.

"Azurelle, you're still in costume! Azurelle!" the darker woman ran to the window and could only watch the girl mix in with the passing crowds. "…Balls!" she ran out of the room and down the stairs, she had to go get that stupid girl before she got in trouble!

00

The Assassin stalked across the roofs of Jerusalem, thoroughly annoyed at his failure because that is what it was! If he had been paying attention he would have not been taken by surprise by a boy who couldn't tie his boots properly on most days! For a moment he was angry with Azurelle for distracting him – until he realised that he shouldn't have been playing around with her in the first place... he stopped not too far from the bureau entrance, his hands uncurled from fists as he looked at them like they were foreign to him. They shook. His well-trained eyes couldn't see the tremor but the tingles felt all too real. Had he really held in these hands the beginnings of a life – one that was his?

It was strange, he could take lives and save them, he never really thought twice about either; they didn't affect him directly. But this…this was something else!

He checked his surroundings making sure no one saw him as he slipped through the hole in the roof of the bureau. His feet had barely hit the floor when Malik called him from his work area. Malik looked up at him expectantly, his brows furrowed when Altaïr produced a clean feather from his pouch; why hadn't he killed the man after interrogating him? "What is the meaning of this?"

"He would not drink his wine and then that weed of a boy walked in and alerted the entire place of my presence!"

"How did you get caught by him, of all people?" Malik yelled, "I cannot believe this! I sent you instead of Nakim because you're more experienced! Are you completely stupid?"

Altaïr licked his lips nervously; this was not going to go down well. "I was distracted…" Malik waved his hand for Altaïr to continue his schoolboy excuse, "Azurelle wa – "

"Damn you, Altaïr!" he spat angrily, "we agreed that you'd leave her alone!"

"I know!" he yelled back before taking a breath, there was no point starting a fight over this, "I know…listen, about that." He walked into the other room, sat on one of the pillowed rugs and waited for the near silent footfalls of his companion to come closer. The older Assassin stood before him and waited for whatever was going to fall out of Altaïr's mouth next, he watched as the man pulled off his hood and rested it on his crossed legs, his hands rubbing through short hair in a stressed motion, he looked lost. "I can't just stop contact with her – be quiet and listen!" Malik's mouth snapped shut at the request; it _was_ a request, Altaïr was calm and no anger was in his voice. "She's pregnant."

The Dai's mouth dropped a fraction; he wasn't sure what to say to that…what could he say? "You are sure it is yours?" Altaïr sent him a glare so fierce that he took a step back and raised his arm in an apologetic fashion, "Sorry! Stupid question, this is Azurelle after all…of course you are the father."

Altaïr flinched, 'father', it wasn't something he'd thought of. Not even while he was roaming around the east; in India he'd stayed at an orphanage full of small thieves that knew how to get hold of rare texts for him, not once had he felt fatherly – mostly because they kept stealing _his_ things! In china, Maria had nearly adopted a baby while Altaïr was learning how they made stronger weapons by mixing metal with other things; he had given her a lecture on how she was too young to be tied down with a baby. She'd even asked him his opinion on having a baby – he'd said, 'perhaps when I start to grey'. Never once had he thought of 'settling down'. Malik interrupted his thoughts, "Are you sure, Altaïr?"

"Yes," he looked at his hands again, "she's showed signs and…in my hands…"

Malik shook his head; Altaïr had the most bemused look on his face, almost like he was in awe of something that he also feared. Malik could swear he could almost see the ghost of a smile, "so what will you do?" he asked as he sat down beside him. The Assassin thought for a long moment, relieved that Malik was not yelling at him for his negligence and because his friend seemed to understand his dilemma. "You cannot abandon her."

"No." he agreed readily, "however I cannot tie myself to her either."

Malik nodded, "that would not be fair on any of you; a loveless marriage for the sake of a child…your son would hate you."

"Or daughter." He nearly choked on the word. "Obviously I will provide for her and the child, maybe a home in Masyaf – she would not be far away and neither would we be in each other's pockets."

"Sounds like a shamed mistress story, Altaïr." Altaïr was about to retort but a commotion outside on the street distracted him, someone was yelling to be released, did the soldiers have nothing better to do than grab women in the street? "That is Nazeera's voice!" snapped Malik as soon as he realised. He stood up before Altaïr had even reacted and was already on the roof by the time the other had gotten up; he may have only had a single arm but his skills were not wasted away during the time as Dai.

0

Nazeera swore at the men holding her, dirty soldiers with dirtier minds and groping hands. One held her by her bare waist, his hands drifting into the bottom half of her yellow sari – she'd never wear this stupid costume again! "She is a lively one! She dresses like an eastern princess!"

"Ah, but my friend! She has a whore's mouth, wouldn't you agree," they laughed loudly; everyone around them pretended nothing was happening, if they interfered they would certainly die! "Tell me, habiba, how much do you charge?" he began laughing again until Nazeera landed a hard strike with her knee to his groin, he went down with a pained groan and the other men chuckled.

"Call me 'habiba' again and I'll castrate you!" she struggled with the one holding her when another man began to grope her breast through the choli blouse she wore; he brushed his thumb over her lips and yelped in pain when she bit him. He back handed her roughly, annoyed when she gave him a look that said, 'what did you expect me to do?' by this time the furious soldier on the ground had recovered – a little – he took no time at all to pull her long legs to rest on his hips. Nazeera clenched her eyes shut and waited for the inevitable…nothing. The soldier did nothing except release her legs and stand there.

After a moment, he turned his back to Nazeera, her eyes widened when she saw the silver throwing knife protruding from his back, in front of the soldier was the hooded form of Malik; with a quick flick of his wrist, the soldier fell, blood spraying from his neck like a macabre fountain. His dagger glinting in the sun was all the warning the second soldier got before the angry Dai shoved the blade into his stomach and pulled it all the way up to the man's chin. The one holding Nazeera shook as he watched his fellows slaughtered in the blink of an eye, he was going to die and in his desperation decided to use the woman he was holding as a hostage, his own weapon started its ascent to her throat when he too let out a grunt, dropping the sword and reaching behind him, he fell to his knees and looked up at Altaïr who was retracting his hidden blade as if he'd done nothing at all. "Habiba." Malik said and offered her his hand to get up because at some point she'd fallen on her backside.

"ASSASSIN!" there was a collective sigh between the three as they were forced to run down an alley, Malik ran up the wall of the nearest stone house and pulled himself up onto the roof, Altaïr was right behind him, Altaïr only stopped to offer a hand to Nazeera so she could come up with them. She glared at his hand as if the very sight of it was offensive until Malik looked down from his perch, "now is not the time, woman!" she jolted up straight at his reprimand and, grudgingly, took Altaïr's hand.

"Did you open your purse and give Malik back his testicles?" the younger Assassin asked with a smirk. Both she and the other man swore at him, the older Assassin smacking the back of his head harshly. They only went over a few roofs, Nazeera was not well trained in free running or, according to Altaïr, jumping more than a foot, they dropped into another alley, its only occupant was an angry drunk groaning unconsciously. It wasn't likely the guards would come this way; the small passage was well concealed from the street's view. Malik gently touched the mark forming on his lover's face, a frown deep set upon his lips as he muttered his regret on not making the soldiers suffer for touching her. She leant into his touch and told him to shut up.

"Why are you wearing a sari?" Altaïr asked, shattering their quiet moment together.

"Gyani chose the costume for me to dance in – I had no time to change because Azurelle ran from me in tears!" she marched up to him and pulled herself up to her full height, it hardly affected the Assassin as he was at least a head taller, she jabbed her finger into his chest and the jewellery around her wrist clanged loudly, "What did you do to her? No! Better yet! What did you _say_? Because I assumed you'd told her it was over."

"I didn't." Altaïr said coolly and unintentionally annoying the woman further.

"I didn't bloody know that! So now she's upset about that too!" she jabbed him again and he caught her hand in a tight grip, he suddenly found his wrist in Malik's hand – a silent warning. "Why was she upset?"

He said nothing, the Dai looked at him expectantly, "what did you say to her?" Altaïr's jaw tightened and he shared a quick glance with Malik who seemed to understand immediately, "you _told_ her!" he cried incredulously – surely his friend was more tactful than this! "You blurted it out?"

"I was surprised!"

"So you said, 'you're pregnant'! Smooth, brother, very impressive!"

"What?" both men turned their heads to the woman who, they'd forgotten, didn't know. Nazeera's brain slowly went through everything that had changed about her baby sister over the last month – or was it longer? Pieces of her memory slotted into a puzzle she'd not even contemplated and came to the same conclusion Altaïr had earlier that day. Her little sister, the girl she had raised, was having a baby – she was having _Altaïr's_ baby. She was out in the Jerusalem streets, barely clothed, alone and maybe a little frightened. Nazeera could have spent this time yelling and screaming at the man, calling him every name she could think of, threaten him and hit him but that wasn't going to help her sister. "We must find her. Now!" she gave them both a look, telling them to move their arses.

"It would be better to split up, I'll search the poor district, and I'll tell Nakim and Abdul to keep an eye out too. Altaïr, take Nazeera with you to the market, she usually hides out in the roof gardens, try not to kill each other and don't let her get raped." Malik turned and began walking towards the poorer district, there was somewhere he knew she haunted often, if he could find her first it might be less traumatic for her than facing the father of her child and an over protective older sister.

00

Grey eyes stared up through the wooden trellis to the sky far above, purples and reds marring the blue as twilight descended. She was sat on the stone bench of a long abandoned street garden, the people who lived here were too busy begging to socialise in the small square court, she liked this little place, she could practice all she wanted and no one would bother her or tell her she was doing it wrong. She'd met Altaïr here, she recalled that he had hidden from a roaming English soldier, a deep gash on his shoulder preventing his victory, she'd nearly somersaulted off his face because he'd appeared so suddenly in front of the wall she used for leverage. He'd nearly stabbed her in the foot but opted to duck instead once he realised she wasn't an immediate threat. Then they'd met again a week later, then again the next month, two weeks following that meeting he was in her bed, another month, a week, three weeks, a day…two days in a row…a month again. They always met accidentally and made it a rule to never seek the other out.

And now, now he wasn't interested anymore, now he was going to never see her again and she was carrying his child! Was that why he was leaving her? Because of a baby? Briefly she wondered if he'd continue their fling if she no longer was pregnant, the thought was banished from her mind, spat out like a bad taste and stoned to death before it was allowed to settle. She wouldn't kill this child – her child. She was pregnant! She was going to have a baby, she'd be fat and it would hurt! She hadn't wanted for this to happen but the only thing she could do now was try to be responsible and pray that she made the right decisions. In her hands was a green apple she'd been fidgeting with for a few hours now, while she'd been wandering aimlessly a woman at a fruit stall called her attention, she'd given Azurelle the apple and smiled fondly at her as the old woman complimented her glow and asked her how long she'd been pregnant for. Up until that point she hadn't believed it, she'd thought Altaïr was wrong, maybe teasing her! Except, he wouldn't fool around with such a subject.

She couldn't do this on her own! What would Nazeera say? She'd probably tell her to leave and never come back or to get rid of it because it was part of Altaïr. Nazeera hated the Assassin so much! Suddenly angry with herself for dwelling on such things, Azurelle threw the apple with all her strength at the stone wall, slightly satisfied when it exploded on impact – for such a caring old woman, her apples were quite bad!

"Here you are."

She squealed and snapped her body upright on the bench, "Malik! You scared me!" he stood there silently, watching her rub her face with her hands in a tired fashion. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, I heard you were not wearing much and I wanted to see." She laughed at his response, stood and did a little twirl for him, "Very nice." Malik strode to her side and looked down at her face, around her eyes the skin was a little blotchy from tears and there were miniscule traces of blue on her face, "what is this?" he asked and tried to wipe the flecks off with his sleeve.

"Oh, paint, make-up actually. I thought I'd washed it all way." She wiped at her eyes furiously, she had looked a terrible mess from crying, the blue had streaked down her cheeks and neck and all she could do was wash it all off.

"Did you cry so many tears to wash it off? If I had known, I would have gotten a bucket or something to save them in – they have to be better than the water in the wells." He smiled as she laughed again, she was a brave girl, and she'd get through this little trial. He reached down and gently felt over her stomach; there it was…the cause of so much trouble.

"Malik…is it true? Because no matter how much I feel around I'm not finding anything! It's as flat as it's ever been!" she'd never really paid attention to her body, she was happy with it and confident enough to wear tight fitting clothes, she couldn't understand what it was that the Assassin's were finding!

"You forget that Altaïr and I are Assassins, master ones – not that I am bragging or anything, but I can beat Altaïr in a swordfight any time I want!" Azurelle giggled again, she believed him, anything Malik said she'd believe; he was as good as her older brother and she trusted him completely. "We have a better sense of feeling, we are trained to notice changes, no matter how tiny, and that is why I can feel the curve of your child inside you and you cannot yet. It is true." And that was that. He effectively had the final word and brought the curtain down along with more of her tears.

"Maliiik!" she wailed as he pulled her against his chest and allowed her to cry, "I'm scared! I'm so scared, Malik!" he shushed her gently and told her it was alright to be scared. She had every right to be frightened, she was young, she didn't entirely understand what was going to happen to her, only that there would be pain and then a screaming baby that would be helpless if she didn't look after it.

"It is going to be fine, Nazeera will help you, so will I…and Altaïr will make sure you have everything you both need, we all will, I promise you." Right now he hated Altaïr for having a hand in this, for making this girl cry and making her scared. Had he not taken any precautions? Why wasn't he careful! As if his thoughts had summoned the hazel-eyed Assassin, Altaïr and Nazeera appeared at the entrance of the long abandoned garden. They'd followed Malik, as he seemed to have a direction in mind and so they followed from a distance before losing him for a few minutes. Azurelle sensed the other eyes and looked out from Malik's damp chest. Nazeera stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the girl, telling her she wasn't angry, that she wasn't going to let anything happen to her, all the while stroking her sister's short hair to soothe her.

Altaïr reached his hand out to stroke an exposed cheek, before he'd even touched her; Azurelle had sobbed and turned her face away burying it into the woman's neck. His hand dropped like a stone in water, he couldn't blame her really. Malik had removed his black robe and wrapped it around the acrobat, he placed his hand on Altaïr's shoulder, the younger Assassin actually looked hurt that she would not accept his touch, "she will come round, just make sure you are there when she does."

000

Ta – DA! A little bit angsty, but not too much, I think this would be my reaction if I got pregnant (that's assuming I ever let anyone touch me ever again 'cos men are scum of the earth – not that I'm bitter!) I'd probably cry, and be terrified before thinking, 'i've made my bed and now I shall lie in it!' no pun intended! And no porn either…sad times!


	5. Chapter 5

Edited 29/8/10

Nazeera gave a relieved sigh when she was certain her little sister was asleep among the pillows of the bureau, Malik's coat was still strewn haphazardly around her and Altaïr seemed content to watch the girl from across the room. "Well…I will leave her with you then." She said, her voice slightly clipped as she attempted to be civil. The Assassin said nothing; he didn't even watch her move to the other room silently. Nazeera leaned against the desk quietly as Malik worked on a map of some sort, why he bothered was a mystery to her, Jerusalem changed shape all the time, he'd be old and grey by the time it stopped expanding. "She's asleep at last, I didn't think anyone could get excited about this dump."

"This dump. As you so kindly refer it, holds its purpose! It does not need decorating…and stop throwing in garish pink pillows through the roof when you find them." He covered the top of the inkpot, making sure it was sealed before putting it on the shelf behind him, "the others are beginning to get a comfortable night's sleep and there is nothing worse than pampered Assassins." She smiled innocently, what was wrong with a woman's touch in the bureau? Malik ignored her smile and reflected on Azurelle's amazed eyes when she'd dropped in through the roof "Can you blame her for her enthusiasm? This is the first time she has been in here…you know, as it is supposed to be a closely guarded secret."

"I suppose so." Walking around the desk slowly, Nazeera wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest, "I haven't thanked you yet." She murmured while placing small kisses to his neck, "for saving me or for finding Azurelle."

"I do not need thanking for either," he stated, he hadn't really thought about being thanked or rewarded for either of the acts, he was protecting the people he loved and if that meant killing soldiers and being cried on, so be it. "I still think I should have gutted the bastards alive." Especially the one who'd left a bruise on Nazeera's face; he looked over the mark, barely visible in the dim light of the candles and brushed his fingers over it carefully. She lent into his touch, it didn't hurt so much that he needed to ghost over her skin.

"Kiss me." How could he refuse such a sweetly made request? Malik leaned down, covering her lips with his gently, planning on taking his time with her tonight. He took her hand and led her to a barely visible door besides the shelves of books, a perk of being in charge of the bureau was that he had his own room; he shut the door with his foot and sat Nazeera on top of his bed. "Now here is a room that needs some attention." Malik laughed, here he was about to make love to the woman and she was interested in decorating his bedroom. She gave him a sheepish look as he knelt down between her legs and began pulling the yellow silk off her shoulder so he could kiss the dark skin beneath. He slowly kissed, licked and nibbled his way up the side of her throat, her lips were waiting for his, her hands rested on his shoulders and massaged them as he licked her bottom lip asking for entrance. She opened them for him and moaned in appreciation as his tongue plundered her mouth relentlessly, Nazeera reached for the buttons on the front of her choli and undid them slowly, Malik's fingers found their way inside the silk just as she undid the last button.

His mouth closed over her left nipple while his right hand massaged her other breast. She pulled his head closer to her chest and gripped his dark hair in her fingers, "Malik!" he bit her gently before letting go and pushing her down onto her back.

"How do I get this thing off?" Nazeera blinked owlishly up at him and suppressed a giggle, she wriggled her hips a little until Malik realised the skirt was formed by wrapping the material around itself many times and he went to work immediately on undressing her. Once the yellow silk was in a heap on the floor, Malik took a moment to stare at her body, it had been a while since he'd simply been able to take his time and admire the smooth skin. She fidgeted awkwardly when he did nothing but look, what was he doing? Sitting up, Nazeera began pulling on the fastenings of his own clothing, her attempts were thwarted when the Dai ducked his head and pressed his lips to a faint scar along her ribs just below her left breast. He did nothing more than that to the small mark, Nazeera sighed when she realised his mood, he wanted to love her and there was no hope in rushing him.

The scar was old, six years ago Nazeera had been stabbed during one of the man's missions. He'd asked her to distract his target while he got rid of the people guarding the man – the target caught wise and nearly killed her before Malik could get to them. He'd felt so guilty for dragging her into his way of life, for nearly costing her her own life, he'd actually asked her to be his wife then. Nazeera refused, even after she'd recovered and he'd loved her sweetly and she still refused every time he asked – whenever her life encountered some sort of trouble, like today's incident with the soldiers, Malik would be gentle and sweet and then he'd ask her to marry him. Nazeera moaned loudly when she felt his tongue stroke along the inside of her thigh, she quickly reminded herself not to drift off when in this man's company, he moved fast! She spread her legs for him and obeyed when he pushed on her stomach, telling her to lie back down, Malik pulled her hips forward closer to the edge of the bed. His fingers spread her apart and he leant forward, flicking his tongue against her wet folds, she cried out loudly as he continued with firm strokes of his tongue, when it delved inside her she was forced to bite down on her fingers to stop her scream of pleasure.

"Malik! S-stop! They will hear us!" she could think of nothing more embarrassing than Altaïr and Azurelle hearing her moan and keen as Malik fucked her with his tongue. He pulled his mouth away but replaced it with a quick finger that pierced her and continued to stroke her heated entrance, their eyes met and he licked his lips slowly; her face heated up beautifully for him.

"Be my wife."

"No." he added a second finger inside and curled them upwards, making her arch her back slightly, he asked her again, "No! I refuse!" Malik smirked, she didn't sound so confident, he added a third finger and she began pushing herself onto the unrelenting digits. Again, he asked, "…no, no, I won't…please Malik!" she begged as her breaths turned to short gasps and her eyes shut tightly, "don't ask again!" Malik dove forward and caught her clit between his teeth, rubbing the tip of his tongue over the tiny pearl before sucking firmly, never once stopping his fingers. Nazeera muffled her cries into her arm, hiding her face from him as she clenched around his fingers and came.

00

Azurelle opened her eyes slowly, it was hopeless trying to sleep after hearing her older sister's muffled scream; she wondered briefly if she'd ever been so loud or sounded so fulfilled – who had she subjected to her cries when Altaïr had her on the roofs? She sat up slowly, moving some of the pillows behind her back as she leant against the cold stone; the only thing she could hear now was the trickling of the fountain across from her. "How do you feel?"

"Tired…anxious." She glanced at the figure of Altaïr; he looked odd without all of his weapons adorning the white robe and without his hood. She'd seen him many times without it before but usually the rest of him was bare as well. "What happens now?" Altaïr looked at her with a hint of surprise; she was being awfully calm considering how she had been earlier, and for someone who was frightened she was handling herself well. "This," she motioned to her stomach, "it changes nothing between us…I won't marry you, I'm not going to force you to be there for the baby and I'm not killing it either."

Altaïr straightened, "I would not let you harm the child!" he said it more harshly than he'd meant to, he regretted it as he watched her hands tighten on Malik's coat, "I am sorry…" he said quickly before continuing, "I do not want you to get rid of it. I will, however, be apart of my son's life."

"Or daughter."

"Or daughter, either way I would not abandon you or my so – child." She smiled a little as he corrected himself, did he want a boy? Azurelle was relieved that he was not angry at her and even more so that he seemed so protective of her baby's well being. "I thought that since Malik plans on bringing Nazeera to Masyaf, which will be in about two month's time, you would come also…either living in your own home or with your sister. You'd have everything you need, both you and the child."

"…Once Gyani finds out about this I'll have no place with the Troupe, no where to live and no means of supporting myself – let alone another." She sounded defeated; this wasn't in her plans, to be some poor girl who got pregnant and sponged off the father for the rest of her life. "I seem to have very few options here."

"Well, it is Masyaf or I steal him in the night and hope you never come looking – but spending the rest of my life peering over my shoulder for Templers _and_ angry acrobats is not my idea of fun…not to mention Malik may make good on his promise to throw me in the sea."

Azurelle laughed, "You wouldn't dare! An Assassin who strikes with one hand while feeding a baby with the other doesn't instil fear, Altaïr." She beckoned him to come sit beside her, a great weight lifted from him as he sat and she leaned against him. "Why would being thrown into the sea be a problem?"

"Never you mind." He said and then quickly changed the subject, his ego would not take the blow of her laughing at his fear of water, "you will come willingly then?"

Azurelle gave a small snort, "of course not." Altaïr looked at her with a frown, "you want me to go to some place I haven't been to for years! I'm going to be the topic of gossip, 'oh look, it's the girl with no husband,' or 'and he believes he's the father? What a fool.'" Her voice was the perfect imitation of a couple of women who spent their days in the market talking about people behind their backs. "We were going to India in a few months; Gyani has a home there and has customers already! You really want me to give that chance up?"

"Are you going to take away _my _chance to know my child? What if Gyani refuses to take you?" he snapped suddenly angry.

Azurelle sat up angrily and turned her back to him, "I'll figure that out when I tell him after next week's festival!"

"You cannot still be thinking of performing! What if you fall? No! I will not allow it!" was she a fool, was she not thinking of his child's safety at all? The brunette got up suddenly and glared furiously down at him, her lips pulled into a straight line as her brows furrowed. She looked ridiculous wearing Malik's coat, it was too big for her and it softened her angry stature.

"You do not tell me what I can and can't do! You don't own me, Altaïr!"

Altaïr stood also, he was now the one glaring down at her, "I am not going to let you risk my child's life, Azurelle and I will do what I must to stop you from being so reckless!"

"It's hardly reckless! I've been training my entire life! I don't understand why you suddenly don't trust my skills!"

"I do not expect a child to understand!"

The sound of her palm striking across his cheek echoed in the tiny room. The Assassin stood still as a statue, his fists clenched painfully hard as he forced himself not to react, mostly he wanted to shake her until she saw sense or lock her away until she realised he was right. He turned his gaze to the short girl and she shrank back, her hand dropping as she realised she'd slapped him for his remark. She wouldn't apologise though, he didn't deserve one and she was too stubborn to ask his forgiveness. "If I'm a child, explain to me just what _you_ are! Are you some dirty old man who likes young girls on the end of himself? What were you thinking when you tore me open six months ago?" Altaïr winced at the memory, 'good', she thought, 'let him feel bad!' "Does a child patch you up when you're bleeding and beaten? Do you allow children to become distractions for dangerous men? Do you make a habit of making children pregnant?" Azurelle scrubbed at her eyes when she felt angry tears begin to fall, the Assassin had no right to treat her like this, he'd never shown her such disrespect before and she wasn't going to allow him to now!

He reached for her retreating form, suddenly concerned with how pale she looked in the moonlight, she laughed at his audacity, at least Altaïr had thought she'd laughed but found she was gasping for air, "Azurelle?" she slapped his hand away and tried to glare at him venomously but her grey eyes rolled up into her head and she slumped forward into the Assassin's waiting arms. Altaïr lifted her into his gently and set her back down on the rug she'd been sleeping on earlier, she was in a dead faint and he knew all he could do was wait for her to come around. He stroked her face gently, trying to erase the angry lines he found there.

It took a few minutes but she finally came to with a gasp and confusion shining in her eyes, "What…"

"You fainted."

"No, I – "

"You did." He snapped, was she going to fight him on everything? He heard her breathing hitch again and told her to take some slow, deep breaths until she had calmed herself. Altaïr swallowed his ego, "Forgive me…this is not easy for either of us." She said nothing to him and he sighed. At least some of the pallor in her cheeks was vanishing, "you need to eat something, I will ask Malik where he hides the food, do not move…please." He added before she could retort. Another loud moan sounded from the room beyond and the two shared an awkward silence, "I guess I am finding the food without his help then." He began stalking away when Azurelle called for his attention.

"Altaïr, I am not sharing a house with that noise."

000

Chapter 5! Ah, hormones…they don't mix well with bossy Assassins!


	6. Chapter 6

Edited 29/8/10

For the next few days, things were tense between Altaïr and Azurelle. The morning after their fight, Nazeera took the girl home with her to explain to Gyani their absence, Gyani was angry that they'd both gone missing and confined them to the inn until the next day when it was time for them to practise with the Troupe. Azurelle was preparing to run up a wall and land on Nikeel's shoulders when she felt the sharp sensation of being watched, her eyes swept the roof tops before landing on the imposing, crouched, figure of Altaïr; had he become her stalker now? He was being ridiculous! Just to spite him, Azurelle sped towards the stonewall and nearly ran half way up it before back flipping gracefully into the air – the other acrobat faltered slightly when he caught her but that wasn't enough to cause any concern. Turning her head to glance at the Assassin with a smug smile on her lips, his looming shadow soon disappeared. She hadn't seen him after that until they accidentally met in the street two days later. They stood in awkward silence, people bumped them as they passed the couple, most were annoyed that they were in the way. Altaïr broke the silence first, "How are you?"

Azurelle blinked dumbly, not used to such a greeting from him. Usually he'd pull her to himself and rob her of her breath as he kissed her, somehow they'd become strangers. "Better…it was nice to not wake up wishing to empty my stomach." He nodded slowly and then they fell silent again. "Oh, this is silly!" she exclaimed, "What are we even fighting about?" Azurelle pulled his sleeve as she led them both out of the middle of the street, if one more person walked into her she'd murder them, she wasn't invisible!

"If I remember rightly." Altaïr began, "you refuse to stop risking my baby's life and then I called you a child."

"Your baby?" she raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms in amusement, "will you give birth too?"

"I meant _our_ baby…"

She smiled at him genuinely, it was rather sweet that he seemed so possessive but annoying at the same time. "How about a compromise, Altaïr?" he cocked his head to the side; he was willing to listen if it meant he could have her back in his grasp. "Let me perform tomorrow without interfering. No glaring at me from the roofs and no locking me in the bureau." He had the decency to look guilty, he had toyed with the idea, "Then I'll stop…no jumping, running up walls, back flipping, twirling, tight rope walking, being thrown from a three man tower and no silk dancing."

"You will come to Masyaf?" she pouted slightly at him, that wasn't part of her deal and he knew it, trust the Assassin to look gift horse in the mouth _and_ count its teeth! "Do not look at me like that. I have to return and I refuse to leave you here unprotected!"

Giving a frustrated growl Azurelle snapped at him, "Why are you being so difficult?"

"Why are _you_?" he countered, "What is so important about this damn festival?"

"It's not the festival! Gyani said that after this last performance I could do whatever I pleased; I'd have paid my debt to him and if I wished, he'd allow me to work in the Troupe and keep whatever I made! I won't need you or anyone else to provide for me!" She watched his face carefully, his hood did nothing to help decipher his thoughts for her; wasn't it better that she wouldn't be a burden to him? She enjoyed being in the Troupe and being able to decide when she trained and performed was better than the gruelling schedule she was currently on. It had surprised her greatly when the Indian man pulled her aside and told her she owed him nothing more – all her years of working hard to pay the man back for providing for her was over, it also meant that Nazeera would be free to do as she pleased soon also.

"That is it then? You do not need me at all?" Altaïr reached out and pulled her into his arms, "so after long hours and sleepless nights of tending to a baby, you will not need me? You will be content raising the child alone, moving from country to country, organising travel, food, juggling your needs, the Troupe's needs and the child's? What about his education? Who is going to take care of him when you are entertaining the crowds?" he asked, "Who is going to take care of you?" Azurelle tried to pull away, how was she meant to know any of this? And why did he keep referring to the baby as male – it could be a girl! In fact she hoped it was just to spite him! He bent down to her ear, "I would take care of you, whether it be organising these things or something more intimate." She shivered lightly at the sound of dark promise in his voice. "Just because you happen to carry my child does not make you any less attractive to me. Being this close to you still causes my body to ache painfully and I want nothing more than to take you here."

Azurelle gasped, her face heated as he continued to whisper lowly in her ear, his hands rubbed up and down along her hips and waist. "If it were not for the fact that we are surrounded by people, I would fuck you until you screamed for me to stop." She gripped his belt as her knees nearly buckled, he couldn't do this to her in the middle of a street! "I have never been this frustrated in my life," he hissed, "I want nothing more than to bend you over one of these stalls and bury myself so deeply inside that you would feel me days after!"

"Altaïr, please! I…I need you!" Altaïr chuckled at her admission; her leggings were probably damp by this point.

"But you do not need me, you said so yourself." He loosened her fingers from his belt and took a step back, the smuggest look Azurelle had ever seen on his face. She gaped at him, her face flushed brilliantly with the disbelief that he would tease her like this!

"You bastard! Don't you dare leave me like this!" he gave a short wave before quickly blending into the crowd, she lost sight of him and swore venomously under her breath, he was a dead man! She was so busy muttering under her breath that she didn't notice when someone tapped her on the shoulder, she squealed girlishly, and whipped around to see who it was. A tall man, lanky and weedy looking was smiling at her in a way that made her skin creep, his dull brown eyes looked her over carefully. It was obvious from his leer that he liked how flushed she looked.

"You're Gyani's girl! I was at your private show a few days ago. I'm Qiblatayn." He took her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles, Azurelle suppressed a grimace with a false smile before trying to pull her hand away. Qiblatayn ignored her blatant attempt to free herself by holding tightly to her wrist and ran the fingers of his other hand along her shoulder, "I must say, red is a good colour on you." He leaned closer, "and I don't mean your tunic." Azurelle didn't like the way he looked at her and tugged on his grip again, she stopped when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the white of an Assassin's robes. Thankfully it was not Altaïr, as he would have surely torn this letch to pieces. It was Nakim; he was the only one in Jerusalem she knew who covered the bottom half of his face. He was Abdul's master, teaching the younger boy the finer points of killing and stealth, with his presence nearby Azurelle's panic subsided a little.

"What are you doing, worm?" at this voice, Qiblatayn was the one who jumped in surprise, large gloved hands beat the weedy man's hands away from the brunette but rested on her shoulders once the other had taken a step away from her, "I did not send you ahead to scout out women." The man's words seemed to have Qiblatayn quivering in fear and she could not hold her curiosity any longer from turning her head; who had hold of her? This tall man was made of muscle, his skin tanned from years in the hot sun, sun he did not get in his own country it seemed. His head was bald, he had a full auburn beard that he was obviously very proud of, it was well kept and neatly trimmed. He looked down at her with glittering, blue eyes, he didn't look like he meant to harm her but she soon noticed the abundance of crosses about his person – Templer crosses. This must have been the man she'd overheard Qiblatayn talking about.

"Forgive me, Master Bosque!" he suddenly gave Azurelle a dirty look, "I was weak against this wanton girl."

"Wanton? There are many reasons women glow, you disgusting leech, not all of them caused by desire." He slid a gloved hand down her shoulder, intent on putting it against her stomach. A streak of panic rushed through her veins and Azurelle slapped the appendage away, she launched herself from the Templer so she could run as far away from him as possible – once again she found her wrist caught, "No, no!" Bosque exclaimed, "I did not mean to frighten you or harm the babe." He turned her palm upwards and frowned, she'd managed to cut herself on his armour trying to get away, "perhaps you should return to your husband," he suggested while pulling a white cloth from his pouch and tying it around the small cut.

Azurelle had practically run away from the Templer, Nakim chased after her before she ran into more trouble, he'd made her sit down until her thundering heart slowed and returned to normal. "How much would I have to pay you to give Altaïr a slow death?" Nakim laughed, he'd known Altaïr from a teenager and knew the Assassin would make short work of him. "Was that really a Templer? He seemed so nice…"

"Don't always trust your eyes." He said firmly, "Come, Malik will want to hear of this and I would prefer to see you safely to your home."

00

The inn was quiet for once, usually there was someone running around or yelling at someone else but this time it was peaceful. Azurelle had the room to herself; her sister had gone with the others to the market. She had tried to sleep while she had the opportunity but found herself too tense, she fidgeted constantly thanks to Altaïr's earlier actions, her run in with Qiblatayn and Bosque overshadowed by the burning ache between her legs – why would he do that to her?

She sighed in defeat; she had to do something about the dull throbbing! Her shoes and leggings had been abandoned beside the small bed hours ago, only her long tunic remained. Sitting up carefully, Azurelle listened for the noise of other people in the building but it remained silent, she'd never done this to herself before and she'd be damned if she got caught by anyone!

With a cautious look around, the brunette worried her bottom lip with her teeth as she parted her legs shyly, she felt silly for being shy, there was no one there! Her hand hovered as she hesitated, "What are you doing?" Azurelle swore, pulled her hand away from herself and closed her legs.

"You! Get out!" she ordered Altaïr angrily. He ignored her and entered through the window, he pulled his gloves, bracers and hidden blade off, dropping them by her clothing. "What do you want?"

"You." Altaïr answered simply as he sat himself on the end of the bed by her feet, "Though it looks like you were busy, I can wait for you to finish what I started." She looked at him awkwardly; did he really expect her to continue while he was watching? Her hesitation made him act for her; he placed his hands on her knees and slowly pulled them apart, she thought about resisting but right now she found she couldn't. "What is wrong?"

"Altaïr…I can't!"

"We've done much more than this before, why are you suddenly so shy?" he watched her lower her eyes and she just sat there red and embarrassed, it was then it hit him, "have you never touched yourself before?" her eyes widened when she heard him, how did he know these things? "Give me your hand."

"What? Why?" he shook his head impatiently and held out his hand for hers, she shakily placed her palm on his, Altaïr pulled her hand down to her body, her eyes widened, "you're a pervert!" he smiled faintly at her before parting her legs further.

"Since you are already so wet, we can skip the first part. This" he said pressing her fingertips against her clitoris, she inhaled sharply as her fingertips brushed the sensitive spot, "is the most important place to pay attention to. This is where you get the most pleasure." He moved her hand down further over her entrance, getting both their fingers covered in her arousal before he stroked back up to her clit, "it is better when you are well lubricated, it feels better, yes?" he moved her fingers in small circles around the bud and she nodded quickly, her mouth clamped shut so she could stay silent. "If you simply want to release some tension, this is all you really need to know; if, however, you want to draw it out." he pulled her hand down again, forcing one of her fingers and one of his own to slip inside, Azurelle whined in the back of her throat, was he trying to drive her mad!

Azurelle pulled her hand from his impatiently, "just take me already!" he didn't need telling twice, he let his fingers sink into her as they were already there, why not use them? She helped him remove his upper clothing and when it came to untying his pants she simply pushed them down his hips enough to release him, he leant over her body, careful not to put any weight on her and kissed the brunette teasingly. It seemed so long since he'd been given access to her mouth, he forced his tongue inside to engage hers in a heated battle, when she felt the blunt head of him against her, Azurelle quickly tensed and Altaïr released her lips to find out what was wrong. "Won't this – is it safe?"

"I have already studied some texts on this matter." He said in a strained voice, the tip of his manhood was pressed against her and he struggled to hold himself still, "it is safe…as long as we are not rough." She hesitated another second before giving him permission, Altaïr moaned into her neck as he was allowed to push inside, he'd missed this! It had driven him nearly insane with want being near her but not touching her! He had meant what he'd said earlier, he wanted nothing more than to throw her down and pillage her tight heat over and over but he knew it was too dangerous for her right now; his control was being stretched considerably as he tried not to use her body selfishly. Altaïr could see a hint of worry in her eyes and reached between them to tease her pearl again, her eyes closed and she moaned prettily for him, "I forgot to mention…this – " he pressed hard with his thumb and she arched up, "is a distraction also."

000

So, yes, not a lot of plot, I think on my next day off from work I will go through the chapters and correct typos and the like…I'm so tired! Toodle pip!


	7. Chapter 7

_Edited 31/8/10_

"It's been a funny sort of day…don't you think so too, Malik?" the man smiled weakly at her, his trembling fingers held her hand tightly, the grip was faltering now…was too much blood lost? "I don't want to lose you…" she whispered brokenly, "stay with me." Altaïr hung his head, the cloth he'd used to stem the blood was now crimson. If something wasn't done soon – Malik wouldn't survive this.

00

Jerusalem was bursting at the seams, there were more soldiers patrolling the roofs and streets than Malik had ever seen in his life, during the night the buildings had been draped with red and gold banners, a large scaffold with long, thin silken sheets draped precariously on top had been built a few days before with a large platform below it. There were acts said to have come from all across the world to perform here, the Dai believed the rumour, he had yet to hear his own language among the growing audience. What was this festival even for? He'd had no choice but to lock the bureau tight and tell the others to not approach the hidden location no matter what. That was why he now found himself sat listlessly on a bench, Abdul on one side of him, mumbling under his breath about his forgotten dagger inside the bureau and Altaïr was sat stonily on his other side – mumbling about how he had forgotten to throw Azurelle _into_ the bureau _before_ it had been shut.

"I am going to murder you two novices if you do not both shut up!" Malik ground out through his teeth; no amount of whining from the boy or the man beside him was going to make him open the roof! "Can you not take after Nakim and leave me alone?"

"Nakim found himself some female company." Altaïr said, "I would gladly spend the day in bed if my female company was not so intent on dropping herself from the top of that scaffold." He glared at the structure, would it stay upright? Were the silk sheets strong enough?

"Aww, you all found a perch!" Nazeera waltz over to them and set herself down on Abdul's knee giving him a wink as she rested her arm around the young boy's shoulder. He sputtered quietly, his face practically lighting up the inside of his grey hood, he'd placed his hands on the bench, nearly crushing the stone in his grip. "Where's Nakim?" she asked while running her fingertip up his robe.

Malik answered on the poor boys behalf, "He is interrogating a serving girl somewhere."

"Oh…" she turned her chocolate gaze to the boy she was sitting on and pouted, "Didn't your master take you with him?" she tapped his nose gently, "the girls at that place are always happy to try out fresh meat." Abdul stuttered out an excuse that he had to leave, something that was important and he had to go…now! The young Assassin fled from them, nearly tripping over his own feet, once he was out of earshot the three of them laughed at his shyness. Nazeera sat down in his place, "is that boy _still_ a virgin? He's so easy to tease!"

Malik came to his defence, "he is just a little awkward with women, he will learn in time"

"I remember when that courtesan sat on your lap at his age" Altaïr said with a slight smirk, "if I recall, you let out a yelp, turned crimson, pushed her off your lap, ran and hid under a desk for the rest of the night." Nazeera squealed in delight, Malik turned to look at Altaïr with shock on his face – Altaïr _still _remembered that? Worst of all, the bastard had told Nazeera, she would hassle him about this relentlessly later! "Or that time in Acre when – "

"Was not Acre where you fell off the boat? Yes, it was…that woman with the beard tried to rescue you." Malik let his story drift off his tongue when Altaïr turned a suitable shade f pink, "now what were you saying about me in Acre?"

"I seem to have forgotten."

Nazeera made a disappointed noise; this was a golden opportunity to get dirt on the seemingly perfect Dai of Jerusalem, she was being deprived of a basic human right! "You can't leave me with half a story! As soon as I've finished with this mornings performance, I expect you to finish that story over lunch, Altaïr!" his name felt foreign on her tongue, it had been years since she'd said it without a hint of hate, for a moment she had forgotten her anger toward him and now her brain was kicking her for her friendly attitude. "I should get back to work." She made the excuse suddenly to Malik and left quickly.

Malik smiled at her retreating back - she wasn't sure of herself so she'd run. He remembered when Nazeera and Altaïr used to get along fine, they would sit and argue philosophy, something Altaïr had always been interested in, Nazeera used to mock it and they'd argue for hours until she'd pass out from drinking too much. There was a time all three of them could laugh and joke together without any bitterness.

After Malik had lost his arm, Nazeera harboured such hate toward Altaïr, as did Malik. She'd gone out of her way to say hurtful things, she'd verbally attack the Assassin and the arrogant Assassin would attack back when they crossed paths. They'd fought so much that there didn't seem to be a way to fix the friendship. She refused to believe that Altaïr had changed, no matter how much Malik told her the old Altaïr was gone; she wouldn't let it go – she couldn't, no matter how much she wanted things to go back the way they were…Altaïr didn't deserve to be forgiven. Once she'd found out Azurelle was pregnant she'd tried to be civil instead of hurtful, Nazeera was surprised at how easy it was. Over the last few days she'd been having entire conversations with Altaïr without realising she was supposed to hate him and treat him as such.

"Does she still hate me?" Altaïr interrupted his thoughts he looked confused too. He was so used to her taking snipes at him he'd forgotten she was actually quite pleasant to know. "Or is it an act for Azurelle's sake?"

"She is trying Altaïr…give her that."

00

The Templer called Bosque stood on a roof overlooking the large stage; he was enjoying the event greatly. He was in the middle of watching a man swallowing a sabre when Qiblatayn appeared beside him and pointed to a man stood alone by a bench occupied by elderly women. Bosque looked at the back of the black haired man, he wore a black robe decorated with white, he also appeared to have his left arm missing. "That is the one in charge of all the Assassins in Jerusalem, I think they call him Dai, my sources also tell me that he is Altaïr's second."

"Second? Altaïr kills our leaders and you show me an invalid with only one arm?" Bosque yelled in disapproval, he couldn't stand the creepy man; the only reason he hadn't run him through was because he was supposed to be a reliable spy.

"That man, is the brain behind Altaïr, the killer you want so desperately goes to that man when he needs something solving, that man single handedly, excuse the pun, organises every mission, he decides who dies in this city…you kill him and you wound Altaïr severely by doing so!" Qiblatayn frowned when the Templer dismissed him; he wasn't interested in the Dai. He actually seemed angry that he'd missed the end of the sword swallower's act because at some point three men had arranged themselves in a pyramid and hurled someone small onto the beams of the scaffold.

0

Azurelle pulled herself into a sitting position on the wooden beam, the rest of her Troupe carried on to avert attention from her as she carefully gathered the red silk to herself, she felt a little queasy being up so high with nothing but a thin cloth to keep her from falling to her death but she was confident all would go well. She could see the entire crowd; she could see Malik giving up his seat, again, for a little old lady. Abdul was trying his hardest to avoid a couple of young girls waving in his direction, there were guards all over the roofs, one was even standing on top of the _bureau_! She paused a moment when she saw the man from yesterday, the Templer, stood on the roof, he gave her a wave, she gasped, he'd recognised her from all the way over there? As she finished up her preparations, she spotted Altaïr; he was so still against the thrum of people, he'd been anxious since agreeing to let her do this. She was surprised he wasn't stood below her with his arms ready to catch her! He was actually stood directly underneath the Templer and the sight alone made her want to giggle.

She'd have laughed but the rush of air passing her as the silk unravelled from her waist needed her full concentration, she came to an abrupt stop a foot from the platform, her arms absorbing the jolting stop, a few people screamed and turned away – she loved when they did that! She performed a few simple poses before running off the edge of the stage, this allowed her to swing freely as she twisted the silk around her leg revealing another length of silk which she used to twist and twirl her way around.

The twins joined her shortly, unfurling yet more silk from the beams above so that the three of them were now amazing the crowd.

Altaïr watched pensively, he was impressed by the display but he couldn't help when his heart nearly broke through his ribs as the cloth supporting Azurelle was cut apart and she was just barely caught by one of the men. They then proceeded to pass her between themselves until they both let go and she was dropped onto the waiting cradle of arms of the rest of the Troupe. Most people clapped and cheered because they were relieved it was over, the rest were simply mystified by the display and wanted them to continue.

00

"Did you see the woman who fainted when they dropped me?"

"I was too busy trying not to scream! When did you guys decide to cut the damn silk! I nearly died!"

Azurelle chatted away excitedly as they ate in a shaded spot, Nakim had dragged himself away from his lady friend to join them and he sat beside Abdul so he could ruin any chance that Nazeera had of teasing the boy. She'd been successfully boxed in by Nakim and Malik; she would not allow all of her fun to be spoilt though. "Oh, Nakim! Do you know what happened in Acre with Malik and possibly a courtesan?" the man sniggered at her question before out right laughing.

"I do" he chuckled, "but I'm sworn to an oath of secrecy on the matter." Malik gave him a grateful nod; he'd once again been saved from the mortifying story! "I can tell you about Damascus though!"

Malik sat up immediately and sent a warning glare in the man's direction, "Do not dare!"

The subject varied from there on, it juggled from old stories, to current going ons, at some point it turned into an argument over the best alcohol cure, Altaïr and Nazeera agreeing with their personal choice of sleeping under the bed with a pillow firmly placed over their head. They had then begun to exchange hang over stories in great detail to one another. Azurelle gave Malik a weird look and mouthed her concern to him; he shrugged. He wasn't going to stop them while they were getting on so well. Nazeera stood up and announced she had to get ready as she was next on the large platform, she leant over and kissed Malik, "I expect you at the front of the crowd." She put her hand on Altaïr's shoulder, "make sure he does as he's told!"

"…Did she hit her head today?" Azurelle asked as she checked Altaïr for some kind of injury where her sister had touched him.

Nazeera slowed her pace; did she really just touch Altaïr willingly and in a friendly manner? She shook her head that was strange! Perhaps it was because they'd all sat out in the relative open and eaten lunch together like normal people, no hiding away like criminals waiting to be captured. She'd enjoyed it; she nearly wished everyday could be like that, no blood, no running…just a friendly meeting. Like a family. Altaïr, Azurelle and her future niece or nephew, Malik and herself, Abdul reminded her of Kadar and Nakim sat quietly like he always belonged there. It was…nice.

00

An archer loaded the bolt into his crossbow, Qiblatayn stood over the soldier as he sighted out Malik. The man had decided that if Bosque wouldn't take the initiative, he would. With their Dai gone Jerusalem would be easier to gain control of and maybe someone would give the spy the credit he was due, "do not miss! Master Bosque will be furious if you fail, my friend." The soldier nodded his head and aimed.

Altaïr stood beside Malik, the older Assassin was giving him a lecture about being sensitive toward Azurelle's feelings, she was pregnant now and he'd have to get used to saying, 'yes, ma'am'. Altaïr huffed he'd only told her that she should eat more and she'd looked at him like evil itself. A joke was made between the two and they laughed together.

Three things happened: the crossbow was fired, a purple cloud of smoke burst forth from the stage and screams were heard in the crowd causing people to panic and attempt to flee.

0

"It's been a funny sort of day…don't you think so too, Malik?" the man smiled weakly at her, his trembling fingers held her hand tightly, the grip was faltering now…was too much blood lost? "I don't want to lose you…" she whispered brokenly, "stay with me." Altaïr hung his head, the cloth he'd used to stem the blood was now crimson. If something wasn't done soon – Malik wouldn't survive this…He wouldn't survive losing her.

Malik squeezed Nazeera's weakening grip, "I am not going anywhere, you ridiculous woman!" he looked at the wood protruding from her shoulder beneath her collarbone, Altaïr was doing everything he could to stop the blood. "Altaïr?" he asked numbly, the Assassin looked at his friend with concern. Neither of them knew how to treat this wound and the crowd still rushing around them didn't help, nor did the sound of swords being drawn. Altaïr pulled the woman into his arms and began forcing his way through the crowd; she couldn't be treated here.

Malik followed close behind, his mind replaying the scene over and over. A smoke bomb full of purple dust exploded on the stage, it was there to hide Nazeera as she climbed up through a trapdoor, to make it look she'd appeared by magic but as the smoke cleared she was sat on the platform only half way through the trap door. And then she'd stood shakily, when she turned, she gave Malik an apologetic smile and had fallen from the stage – Altaïr caught her. They weaved through the panicked crowd and ran through the streets toward the bureau; there was a doctor who worked for the Brotherhood who lived close. They could only hope that he was in.

0

The door was broken off its hinges with the force of Altaïr's kick to open it, "Imran!" he called after placing Nazeera down on a free table in the middle of the room, "Imran!" he ran up the narrow stairway where the man might have been working. Nazeera reached for Malik and he took her hand, the run here had jolted her badly and she was bleeding worse than before, he let her go to apply pressure on the wound, apologising repeatedly when she moaned in pain and tears streaked down her face. She wanted him to hold her hand but he couldn't just let her bleed to death!

"I-is it bad? Worse than before?" he winced at the question and she placed her hands on top of his, she whimpered when her fingertips brushed the shaft of the crossbow bolt. Malik shushed her desperately. This was worse than when she was stabbed six years ago, she'd never been in any real danger that time, it was ironic how she'd been hurt because of him again, that crossbow had been aimed for him – if she hadn't emerged at that precise moment he'd be dead and she wouldn't be dying. He ducked his head and kissed the tears threatening to spill from her chocolate coloured eyes, he'd actually reached to brush them away with his left hand and wondered why he couldn't do it. "Malik?" he looked at her, "stay with me."

He swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded, he couldn't talk as he forced a sob back down his throat, he would scare her if he broke down here. He'd already had his little brother die in his arms and he didn't want it with her. "Forever." He nodded again as she muttered the word quietly, "…hey, Malik…ask me." The Dai furrowed his brows, ask her what? What was she saying? "Ask me, Malik…" her hands tightened pathetically on his, "please."

Where was Altaïr with the doctor? She was going to bleed out at this rate. He glanced desperately at the stairway and nearly screamed as it remained empty, Nazeera's breath hitched, she was beginning to feel dizzy and wanted to close her eyes, "No!" Malik ordered, "Stay with me! Keep your eyes open!" she nodded trying to hide her pained grimace with a smile. Malik kissed her forehead, "be my wife." He felt her try to laugh and pulled away to look at her properly, a serious look across his face, the exact face he made every time he asked, "be my wife." He repeated.

She was tempted to say no, just to see the expression he would pull, but that would just be cruel. They'd known each other for eight years; she guessed that was long enough to keep him waiting on her. She heard a commotion on the stairs as people rushed down but they could wait for her – Malik wanted an answer.

Malik stared at her face, she opened her mouth and breathed a 'yes' before her eyes became too heavy and closed. "Nazeera?" he shook her gently and her hands slid from his, "Nazeera!" the doctor pushed Malik's hand from her wound, Altaïr moved Malik away gently. It worried Altaïr that there was no struggle, his friend stood weakly against him, not even realising his cheeks were streaked with wetness as he waited for the woman to answer him. The doctor turned slowly to face the two Assassins and said:

"I'm sorry…"

000


	8. Chapter 8

Edited 31/8/10

"I'm sorry…" he said, "I need you both to leave, you'll be in my way!" he looked back down at his patient and began giving orders to his two apprentices. Altaïr wished the man wouldn't pause in the middle of his sentences like that! He'd thought she was dead! He pulled Malik from the house and shoved him around the corner where they both collapsed on the back steps of a doorway. There was still yelling drifting in the air from where the scaffold was, because of the panic-stricken crowd the soldiers had had no real hope of tracking them.

"Altaïr…"

"Malik?" Altaïr gazed with great concern at the Dai, he was slouched against the side of the doorway and he looked so broken, "What do you need?"

"Go find Azurelle."

Swearing profusely, Altaïr stood and began stalking back to where all the commotion had started, he'd forgotten about her completely! The Assassin glanced over his shoulder at his friend, he was probably stunned and he'd snap out of soon enough. Right now though, he had to find Azurelle and make sure she hadn't been caught up in the stampede of people.

00

The missing girl had taken refuge on top of a small fruit stall, it was the only place she could find that seemed safe and here she was able to tend to her injuries. Her knees were grazed, so was her right forearm, the blue satin was ripped open on both her arms and several places on her front; she'd been pushing through people as she'd made her way toward the stage to watch Nazeera when there'd been a sudden crush. Mostly she'd escaped unscathed until some fat woman who ran like she was chasing down a sweet treat had pushed her to the ground. Azurelle wasn't sure what had happened, someone had said the soldiers were firing into the crowd but there were no bodies in the now nearly abandoned street.

There were soldiers lurking about, mostly they paid her no attention to her they could tell by her clothing that she was a performer, apparently this made it perfectly acceptable for her to sit on top of a market stall. She watched as the auburn bearded man from the previous day approached her, he stopped a few feet away and cocked his head to the side, "like a little monkey." He spoke in English before switching back to Arabic, "are you well?"

"I'm not a monkey and I'm fine." She'd surprised him by replying in English, her eyes watched him warily, "I can speak three languages." She said it quite proudly; it was not often girls were well educated in these lands.

"German?" he asked, a tiny light of hope in his blue eyes, she shook her head, "it's a shame," he replied in her own language now, "my Arabic is better than my English though so no real loss. Either way I was implying you to be like a monkey and not actually one, here," he said lifting his arms to help her down, "my neck aches from looking up at you."

She shook her head slowly, "Your neck will ache looking _down_." He laughed at her comment, was the Templer trying to trick her or was he genuinely a kind man? It was difficult to tell, Nakim's warning echoed in her head, 'Don't always trust your eyes.' "Don't you have to command your men?"

"They are not mine, I'm just borrowing them for a little while, now come down or I will come up." He was fully aware the tiny structure would buckle under his weight, he was also aware that she knew this too but she also knew it was a viable threat. She edged toward the side and he lifted her down by her waist, "hmm, you are short aren't you…" Azurelle rolled her eyes in annoyance, she didn't need telling – it was bad enough when Altaïr would rest his chin on her head! "Just look at you!"

"Yes, I tend to look like this after face diving into the dirt. Well, thank you but I have to go now!"

"Not like that you're not." Bosque pulled her toward the platform and picked her up so he could sit her down, "before I became a Templer commander," he said, his teeth flashing as he smiled at her shocked look, "I apprenticed the village doctor, it's against my morals to leave you untended." He pulled a cloth from his pouch, the same sort as the previous day, she wondered how many of those he kept on him, there was a sharp sting on her left knee from the alcohol he'd poured from his canteen onto the cloth. Azurelle hissed in discomfort as he carefully treated each graze and cut on her arms and legs in silence. He pressed the cloth onto her chin, "you should try to keep your head lifted when you fall."

"I had more pressing matters, like not getting stepped on." She was growing frustrated with the man; she didn't see him rushing around helping anyone else, why was he singling her out? "Don't!" the brunette pushed the cloth away from her when he went to treat a shallow graze exposed by the torn satin on her stomach, Bosque pushed the whisky soaked cloth in her hand. "Do you have a thing for pregnant women? What do you want with me?"

"I feel bad for making your child fatherless." He said bluntly, he ignored her startled gasp, "I know you're not as simple as you appear, give Altaïr a message for me."

"Who?" Azurelle asked with a confused expression.

Bosque chuckled; she didn't expect him to believe such a blatant lie did she? "The Assassin you were eating with earlier, you know, the one who left you flustered in the street yesterday." The Templer pulled her down and set her on her feet, he put a silver chain with a cross around her neck, "now go home." The man strode away from her; she was left standing there and wandering why she was still breathing.

0

Azurelle wasn't sure where to go, did she go to the bureau or back to the inn? Where had Nazeera gone? Surely she hadn't been forgotten…deciding she'd just get out of the area first before choosing her destination, she ran away quickly before someone else decided to have a friendly chat. So Bosque wasn't such a good man, he'd simply wanted a way to get to Altaïr and she'd been the easiest! How long had he been watching her?

The bureau seemed best; if she wandered close to the building she could attract an Assassin's attention and not reveal the exact location in case she was still watched. Her eyes darted from rooftop to rooftop nervously. Had they even returned to the bureau yet?

It wasn't long before the streets filled again with people, they were talking about how the festival would still go ahead tomorrow, they gossiped over who had been killed. Azurelle wondered who the poor soul was also and why would anyone want to attack the audience? Every time she saw a flash of white her heart leapt, hoping desperately for it to be Altaïr, so far only scholars had passed by and they hadn't been pleased at her for interrupting them. "Azurelle!"

A voice called her name from across the street and someone ran towards her, "Nikeel!" the boy stopped in front of her, "Where did you all go?"

"We ran! After we saw that arrow in Nazeera we panicked! How could this happen?" he took her hand and tried to lead her back to the inn, "we think it was that Assassin from the mansion! At least he didn't get you!"

"Wait!" she refused to move, "What did you say about my sister?"

"Don't you know?" he asked sadly, "she was the one who got hit…that's why everyone ran! Now come on before the man in white comes for you too!"

"And what would you do about it, boy?"

They both gasped as Altaïr appeared from the shadows. Azurelle rushed to him, "Where is Nazeera? Is she alive?" Altaïr looked her over, she was dusty from falling, a small wound on her chin making him push her away at arms length, "Altaïr! Where is my sister?" what an infuriating man!

"Sister…you-you know him?" Nikeel visibly shook in the Assassin's presence, he wasn't sure what to make of Azurelle running to him and the gentle way the man touched her, "he's an…"

She gave him a cold look, "I know what he is, Nikeel! Go home before you embarrass yourself!" she fled with Altaïr towards the place he said Nazeera was. She asked him again and again if Nazeera was alive, if she was wounded badly but he refused to answer her – he didn't know! They could get there to find a cold body for all he knew! "Altaïr, your shoulder's bleeding!"

"So is the other man."

00

Malik hadn't moved. He didn't have the strength to bother, Imran had not emerged from the house with news yet, it had been over an hour now. "Malik!" he turned toward the sound, "Malik, what's happening? Is she alright?" he felt small hands on his face and grey eyes obstructed his view, "…answer me." She sounded desperate, obviously she was scared for her sister but he really didn't want to open his mouth and speak right now.

Azurelle looked up at Altaïr, her eyes beginning to brim with tears, she thought that the other man's silence meant that Nazeera was gone, "if she were dead, he would be destroying anything and everything." That was the best hope he could give her right now, the wound had been deep and the black haired woman had bled so much. "We can only wait, Azurelle." He stood opposite the two, his young lover was distracting herself by trying to comfort Malik and she wanted him to tell her it was alright. It was something that made Altaïr jealous; Azurelle could be so easily placated by the Dai. Something that would take Altaïr many times to get the girl to understand, Malik could do it in a single sentence or gesture. Something glinted in his eye, the sun had reflected off something around her neck.

He knelt in front of the acrobat, she was sat higher than his head so the silver dangled teasingly before his eyes, he glared at the offending jewellery and she noticed, "That Templer I told you about yesterday…he told me this was a message for you." Altaïr took it off and turned it over and over in his hands, it was simply metal – obviously the fact that it was around her neck in the first place was the message, 'I can get to you.' "He also said he was sorry to make my child fatherless." Altaïr nodded solemnly.

"Did he claim responsibility for the attack today?"

"No…I don't think he did it, before he would let me go he cleaned my injuries." She felt Malik shift, his dark coffee eyes settle on nothing in particular. He muttered, barely audible, that the bolt was meant for him – Nazeera was collateral. "I see…" she sounded slightly bemused. Bosque's behaviour confused her utterly! A large hand caressed the graze on the tiny bulge that Azurelle could now feel herself. "I fell…" Altaïr frowned, his eyes never deviating from the small injury; he seemed to regard it for a long moment before pressing his lips to it gently. He would have Imran check her over before they left.

"Ahem!" the three of them jolted at once, six sets of eyes regarded the doctor anxiously before he continued. "I did all I could…" he said. Malik and Azurelle both took shaky breaths, already drawing their own conclusions but Altaïr waited for the bastard to finish. "She's very weak, infection could set in, she might not make it through the week but for now…she's breathing."

"She's alive!" Altaïr barely registered the delighted squeal before she hugged him tightly, she released him once she realised he'd had a face full of her cleavage, and she gave him an embarrassed smile, "she's alive!" tears fell down her face, she was just so relieved! Turning to Malik she shoved him, "Get in there!" he didn't need telling twice, Malik got up and brushed past the doctor.

"Oh no, you're welcome! Really it was nothing! Yes, truly, I am just this good at my trade that I can bring back the dead! You are very welcome, Malik! Don't thank me all at once!" the doctor rambled onto himself; was a little gratitude too much to ask? He looked at the other two, "what?"

"We pay you more than we use you, if you want gratitude, work harder." Altaïr told him, his tone of voice was only partly serious, "I want you to check Azurelle over,"

"Altaïr! I'm fine!" she whined, why was he making such a fuss when he was the one bleeding! "He has an injured shoulder, sort him out first!"

"I'm not the pregnant one who fell!" he argued back. The doctor watched them glare at one another before smiling and shaking his head, he had a better idea.

"I will look at the woman – meanwhile, Altaïr, you will fix my door, you know the one you so graciously kicked in!" Azurelle raised her eyebrow at the Assassin, he'd broken the door? She shook her head at him disapprovingly and he huffed petulantly, he hadn't done it on purpose! "Come now, let's look at you." Imran watched her hesitate before following him into the house, "you're not one of those that hit anyone who isn't family or the father for touching your belly, are you?"

She pouted darkly and her answer sounded distinctly like a threat, "You're about to find out."

000

Reviews keep me keen! So yes…that's it for today~

Sera22: thank you for the review! Yes, quick paced is a terrible habit I have, I've tried for years to slow things down but never succeeded, it's the same when I draw a comic! My brain is so far advanced in the story that I seem to try to catch up! I guess it's a style…wow! I have a style!


	9. Chapter 9

Pointless Age Check! (Ages are not canon and I have made them up as I went along. Did you know that Altaïr made master Assassin at age twenty-five! It's a ubisoft fact! But in this lets make it…um…twenty-two!)

Altaïr 27 Malik 30 Azurelle 18 Nazeera 25 - 8 years Altaïr 19 Malik 22 Azurelle 10 Nazeera 17

This is a filler chapter.

Edited 30/8/10

**Eighteen years ago, Damascus**

0

A girl of seven wandered the streets, a tiny baby in her arms wailed noisily as the young girl tried to quiet it, "I'm going as fast as I can! Just a little further and you'll have food, I promise!" this did nothing to stop the baby. Soon, the girl came before a door and she knocked loudly, a woman opened the door and looked down with a sigh, "Nazeera…"

"I'm sorry, Aysha…mother wont look after her!"

"Nazeera," the woman winced as the baby screamed louder, "give her here, she must be starving!" Nazeera gave the woman her baby sister and followed her in. Aysha was an old friend of Nazeera's family; she wasn't far off from giving birth to her own child, "I take it your father did not approve of her being so pale." She knew from the moment Nazeera's mother had confided in her about the rape that there would only be trouble for this tiny newborn.

"Father hasn't arrived home from work, mother's going to tell him the baby died…" the woman ruffled the girls short black hair, "can you take her?" the woman shook her head, she couldn't afford to take care of two children. "But…I don't want my little sister to die!"

Aysha sighed in defeat as the little girl began to cry; there wasn't anything she could do though. She couldn't take the baby in! "Please, Aysha! I'll give you all my meals! I don't need them! And my blankets, I'll do chores for you! She's all alone so I have to look after her!"

"That's enough!" she snapped, she couldn't feel any worse than she already did, "you'd have to get a job and no one's going to pay a scrap of a girl like you!"

Though it had seemed hopeless, Nazeera had been blessed with sudden good fortunes; a man from India and his wife were looking for children to train for a Troupe. They had grown up with a travelling circus and now hoped to make their own. Nazeera had been pretty enough to grab the wife's attention – what was a Troupe without something pretty to gawk at?

Nazeera had agreed to go only if the baby stayed with her. Gyani had not been pleased with the idea, it would mean one less person he could add, there was already a set of twins and a street thief in the little group, they could train immediately, a baby could not! His wife glared at him and taken the baby from Nazeera, already in love. "What's her name?"

"Azurelle."

"That's not a real name…how about – "

"Her name is Azurelle!"

**Eight years ago, Masyaf**

0

Despite homing the Assassin's fortress, Masyaf was an open place for trade and weary travellers; Gyani's Troupe was heard of quite often and had been hired by Al Mualim to perform for a few nights as part of a celebration. It would only be something small as the Assassin's far out maneuvered any of the young Troupe at their current level of training. Nazeera had felt quite annoyed when she'd overheard someone say she wasn't as good as the girls in the Assassin's garden. But as it was, that didn't matter, her small sister had disappeared _again_, the little monster wanted to see the fortress up close. 'She'll never make it up the hill!' were Gyani's words.

"You!" She turned to the male voice behind her, "is this yours?" the hooded man had the ten year old Azurelle by her collar, she tugged at him furiously, she called him every name under the sun and even attempted to bite him on several occasions.

"…can I say no?" she asked trying to hide her embarrassment, "You stop that immediately, young lady!"

"Altaïr! Let her go!" the young Altaïr loosened his grip and threw the girl into her older sister. He muttered something about her being an animal and the girl turned and told him he was stupid. The Assassin glared down at the girl and she hugged Nazeera's waist fearfully, "Altaïr, do you not have throwing practice?"

"I may start by throwing that brat into the lake, Malik." And with that he spun on his heal and ascended the hill towards the training ring.

"And that is why Adha will not show you affection!" Malik called after the sulking youth. There was a bit of an awkward silence after that and then both young adults spoke up at once. Nazeera laughed lightly and motioned for him to continue. "You must forgive him, Altaïr is…well, he is a bastard really, but what can you do?"

Nazeera chuckled at his words; he seemed to be better tempered than his young friend, "Well, she did try to bite him."

Malik laughed at that, "He did carry her down the hill by the scruff of her neck, he could have been gentler with the girl and so he did deserve it." He regarded the little girl, she was trying to peer beneath his hood and not get caught by him, "you are a nosy one aren't you?" Azurelle stuck out her tongue and hid further behind Nazeera.

"I'm so sorry for the trouble she's caused! She's just very curious about…your job." It didn't seem the right way to phrase it but he understood her meaning easily.

"It is no problem…are you singing tonight?" the young novice had noticed her while she had been performing and was quite taken with the pretty girl – if not for his younger brother teasing him he would not have been looking for her now.

Nazeera shook her head; she wasn't performing tonight, "Gyani has allowed me the night off."

"It's her seventeenth birthday! So she's going to get drunk and find a boyfri-" the small brunette found herself with a hand clamped over her mouth, her sister glared at her disapprovingly as she continued to muffle under the hand.

"Shut up!" she hissed and then looked back at Malik blushing, "I'll just take this monster elsewhere, I promise not to let her go near the fortress again!" She turned and began dragging Azurelle away; the small girl was now licking her palm in an attempt to be heard. Malik suddenly spoke up.

"Would you like to get drunk with me?" he mentally hit himself, "I-I meant, can I buy you a drink…tonight…to…apologize for my friend's behaviour!" he thought he'd gotten over his awkwardness with the other sex and here he was tripping over his words in front of the prettiest girl he'd seen for a long time.

"I don't think so," Nazeera said, "I don't think you should apologise because some kid got his trousers in a twist. But…if you're asking because you _want _to; maybe." She gave him a shy smile over her shoulder and Malik blushed under the grey hood.

0

Nazeera moaned quietly as she was pushed up against the rough bark of a tree, Malik's tongue and mouth busied themselves on her throat as his hands wandered over her body. His left hand massaged her breast through the material of her yellow tunic; his right had dropped to rub her through her leggings causing her to whimper in pleasure. "Have you done this before?" he muttered quietly into her ear before lightly nipping the lobe. He didn't want to have her lose her virginity in a drunken stupor.

"Yes." She replied breathlessly, though she'd never felt this hot before with any other man, perhaps it was the alcohol, "but not in the middle of a blackened street." He grinned wickedly; taking the hint he took her hand and led her into the horses' pen behind a large pile of hay. He lowered her down into the straw, covering her easily with his own body as he proceeded to remove her clothes as hastily as he could. "That's hardly fair!" she pouted as his mouth teased a dark nipple, "You would strip me down to nothing when I know you plan to do nothing more than take your cock out and fuck me."

Malik pulled back in surprise, yes that was his plan but that wasn't what surprised him, her language and the way she squeezed his manhood without the slightest bit of shyness wasn't something he was used to. He was used to the girls in the fortress garden who acted like shy virgins and spoke softly for him to make love to them, Nazeera was exploring his body as roughly as Malik was hers and he couldn't say it displeased him – he was actually quite turned on by the bossy female. "What will you do about it, habiba?" he asked with a slight challenge in his voice.

Nazeera laughed, the Assassin was turning out to be quite entertaining, at first she wasn't so sure, he'd seemed shy and too polite with her, he'd been nervous. It wasn't until Altaïr had decided to park himself at their table and begin an argument with her, unintentionally of course, that Malik seemed to stare at her with more than friendly interest. She'd told Altaïr where to get off before dragging Malik outside, this was when the man jumped her. "Let me up and I'll show you." Malik let her hands push at his chest until their positions were reversed; here she proceeded to remove her clothing until he could see all of her, "what would be the point of stripping me and then not seeing anything because you're on top?" She reached for the hood obscuring his face and pulled it down.

"I will have to kill you now that you have seen my face." His smile was lazy as she rubbed up and down his clothed chest, she could see the playful glint in his dark brown eyes, "unless you have a way to persuade me otherwise."

"hmm," she hummed thoughtfully as she pulled his erect shaft into her hands and stoked him up and down slowly, "I don't have any money to give you, nor any information…what to do, what to do…" she pursed her lips pretending to be deep in thought even as Malik's hips bucked impatiently in her hand, "how about a special dance, just for you?" letting him go, Nazeera smirked at the growl that rumbled from deep in his chest, she pushed the light robes he wore further up before dragging her nails down the ridges of his muscled stomach.

He hissed impatiently, "Woman, ju-"

"Shut up and watch!" she interrupted him whilst grabbing his erection in one hand and resting the other on his raised knee, "don't move." She made sure he was looking at her before slowly lowering herself onto him, Malik's eyes shifted to where their flesh met and nearly came at the sight of her tight, wet heat slowly swallowing him inch by glorious inch. A long languid moan accompanied the movement until she was fully seated upon him, Malik gripped her hips tightly as she grinded back and forth against him, "okay," she panted slightly, "now you can move…please move!" Malik obeyed her with a powerful thrust that made her gasp and her breasts bounce at the force.

"I can see what you meant about my view being obscured, habiba." He started a quick, sharp pace that allowed him to enjoy the expanse of her beautiful dark skin but was soon coaxed into a faster and deeper rhythm as she clenched her walls around him tightly. The Assassin pulled her forward for a hard kiss and was rewarded with a better angle and more desperate moans from Nazeera, she fought his tongue awkwardly with her own, she wasn't used to such a fierce and desperate kiss, she let his mouth dominate hers as his thrusts made her gasp and pant until she was dizzy from the lack of breath. Letting go of her lips, Malik dragged his left hand down her body and rubbed his thumb against the hard little nub that made her scream loudly as she was forced to come against him. He continued to pierce her again and again until he felt his body grow taut, she cried out again suddenly, once again squeezing him deliciously until he emptied himself inside her.

She trembled slightly in his arms, Malik stroked her back gently as she panted into his neck, "did you…twice?" he asked after regaining his own breath, she nodded into the crook of his neck and he couldn't help suppress a huge grin that split his face. "Hmm, that's never happened to me before." He muttered with a definite note of male pride in his voice.

"I-It's never…never happened to _me_ before! I can still feel…" she moaned quietly when Malik's hands wandered over her thighs, "I think you killed me…" he laughed into her shoulder length hair for a moment before rolling her over and positioning himself over her again.

"Perhaps a repeat will bring you back."

**Present day, Jerusalem**

0

Nazeera groaned and her head tossed slightly on the bed, beside her sat Malik, he was gently dabbing the fevered sweat from her brow and trying his best to keep her still as she dreamed. She'd been moved into his bedroom at the bureau, Imran not wanting her to stay in his house as it would arouse suspicion if he was found with an Assassin's associate. Altaïr and Nakim had moved her as gently as they could to the bureau as soon as night had fallen to cover them, there was nothing more he could do now but wait. "Is she getting worse?" Azurelle asked as she stood behind him, the acrobat's eyes were reddened with exhaustion, she'd been up since before dawn and had had a busy day for someone in her condition.

"Azurelle, it's nearly dawn! Go to sleep!" Malik had no more patience for her, he could see why Altaïr dogged her steps and forced her to take breaks, to eat and sleep, she would run herself ragged if left alone. "If anything changes I will get you immediately."

"But Malik, what if – " she paused as his no-nonsense glare hit her; this wasn't up for discussion apparently. He turned from her and she watched him tend to her sister carefully – it was a clear sign that he would talk no more to her. Defeated the short haired brunette returned to the other room where Altaïr was staring at her disapprovingly from the rug she'd abandoned him in as he dozed. "…sorry?"

Altaïr huffed into his pillow and lifted his arm for her to join him; she laid with her back to him and allowed the Assassin to pull her close with his arms around her protectively. She felt queasy, possibly because she had not slept or because morning was approaching with a good possibility of morning sickness, she groaned at the thought and tried to bury her face into the pillow. "Are you in pain?" Altaïr rumbled in her ear, he was still coddling her because of her fall earlier even though the doctor, who now sported a black eye, had assured him she was fine! "Do your knuckles still hurt?" she gave a small laugh at his amused comment, he hadn't had any sympathy for Imran after Azurelle had given him a right hook to his face.

Back in Malik's room, the Dai was beginning to nod his head as he tried to keep himself from sleeping in the chair, he was truly tired now and wanted nothing more than to get into bed with Nazeera. She lay still now from her dreams, the thrashing and small moans ceased. It hadn't seemed like a nightmare to Malik, her face hadn't seemed to crease in fear and the noises she'd uttered hadn't seemed distressed. He was just relieved to have her still and not aggravating her injury.

"If you're tired; sleep."

Malik jolted violently, his eyes wide and unbelieving when they met her barely open ones, he hadn't expected to see her awake anytime soon. "Are you alright?" he asked dumbly, not knowing what else to say.

Nazeera smiled at him, "no, I've been shot…and I'm in terrible pain." She wanted to laugh at his expression, he looked so startled to see her and he was floundering about like a fool, saying something about a pain reliever. He left her for a moment and she waited, she heard Azurelle's voice and then both Malik and Altaïr telling her to sleep impatiently, she was grateful none of them were hurt…even Altaïr. Malik came back into the room after a few minutes with a cup in his hand.

"This will help the pain…it might make you hallucinate though" he gave her an apologetic shrug at her disapproving frown, chances were she was too weak to do anything but sleep after losing so much blood. Nazeera shifted her body upwards, a sharp pain making her gasp, Malik grimaced as she whimpered to herself, he wished he could help her with more than just forcing her to drink the foul liquid and he also wished to kill the one who had done this to her. "I thought I had lost you." He murmured as if ashamed she'd hear, "and there wasn't a bloody thing I could do."

Nazeera gave him another weak smile, she reached for him gingerly, pulling on his robe until his head rested on her stomach and she could stroke through his messy hair without agitating her wound, "sleep, Malik…you'll be grumpy in the morning."

"It is morning." He muttered as he made himself comfortable, he was lent over from the chair, his head resting on her belly and his right arm caressed her side soothingly. "I ca not sleep if I know you are having bad dreams." He really was tired if he was beginning to ramble nonsense, she shook her head sleepily, the drug beginning to take affect.

"Will you sleep knowing that they were all about you and me…in a haystack in Masyaf?"

Malik said nothing and Nazeera was certain he'd fallen asleep until his voice vibrated across her skin, "we should do that again."

000

Ta Da! So I thought I'd fill in a tiny bit of Nazeera's history, only a few of her memories, mostly to pad out the chapter and add some two armed Malik sex! Hmm, I don't think young Altaïr liked Azurelle much.

Reviewers!

WhatEverLoz: You're still with me! *throws cookies* I didn't shoot the doctor but I had Azurelle punch him in the face just for you!

TheYukii: Another one who's stuck with me! *throws cookies* I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!

Sera22: You taught me my style! *throws more cookies* it seemed too cruel to deprive Malik of such a bossy woman! So yes, she's not dead…yet

Brainfear: I'm glad I actually managed to create chemistry between them; I'm hoping to keep the pH balance just right! *cookies for you* and also, a criticism! Fantastic! (I'm being serious) originally when I wrote this I was trying to add the next part to a story I've been writing for a long time…I had a serious block and a mind full of filthy thoughts and thus Fleeting was born. I felt it could take too long to build their relationships from scratch so I skipped ahead to the part where they already know each other, hopefully avoiding any Mary-Sue-ish behaviour from the girls.

I have slipped bits of their history in here and there but obviously that will never cover their backgrounds but I had planned to concentrate a tiny but on their history with chapters like this, there will be one in the final chapter of Fleeting for Azurelle too. I didn't want to concentrate on their history too deeply as I felt it might spoil them. But I am so glad you're enjoying this fiction!


	10. Chapter 10

Edited 30/8/10

Things were oddly quiet for the next few days, no Templer activity, the soldiers were behaving, no one had warranted a reason to be Assassinated and even the local street thieves were being quiet. Usually this was not a problem but with three Assassins occupying a small area, all bored and agitated, things were becoming too tense for the acrobat. Which meant Altaïr was also growing more frustrated as she became more listless, he was ready to strangle her – in fact he was certain he _would_ strangle her. What didn't help was Nakim taking her side!

"There is such a thing as too much rest, Altaïr." He started one morning; Altaïr could already feel his patience fraying at the edges, "my wife was cooking and cleaning the entire pregnancy, she only stopped to give birth and then carried on with my son on her arm! Letting Azurelle wander around the market isn't going to kill her."

"As soothing as your domestic stories are, she is not leaving the bureau!"

"I'm sitting right here! Don't talk about me like I'm invisible!" Azurelle groused in her little nest of pillows, she threw Nakim a grateful smile at his attempt to help her but they both knew it was hopeless to press the master Assassin more.

"By the way you act, I'd think you were the one pregnant…ah, well, if_ I_ stay here another moment I may go mad."

Before the masked Assassin vanished through the roof, Azurelle called out to him sarcastically, "say hello to the fresh air for me!" he laughed at her comment and went before he was killed. Altaïr turned to her with an angry glare.

"I am trying to keep you safe!" he snapped, "I am trying to keep you out of that Templer bastard's grasp! Why are you so intent on making things difficult for me? Can you not see the danger?" he had raised his voice to her again, he didn't like doing it, he thought he'd lost his impatience, he had hoped he'd learnt his lesson long ago for his demanding arrogance and desire to be obeyed. But the girl was so stubborn that his patience and understanding was running so very thin!

"All I can see is a prison! And you seem to be my jailer, you're so intent on telling me what to do all the time that I'm slowly losing the will to live!" she yelled just as angry as him, "I've never known anyone so overbearing and controlling! I can't believe I ever wanted to be in your company in the first place! The sooner this pregnancy is over the better! I want nothing to do with you!" she breathed heavily for a long moment as they glowered at each other, she saw his jaw tighten as he restrained himself, she wanted a reaction though. "I should have never started this thing with you, I should have punched you the moment you touched me! I hate you and I hate your child as well! I hate this entire situation!"

"Fine!" the Assassin hissed, he flung out his hand toward the exit, "Go then! Go out there and get yourself killed for all I care!" His voice was level, his anger so great that he shook with the force of it, "…just stay out of my sight." He fixed his eyes to a crack in the wall, she seemed stunned but he refused to look at her, even as she stood and shuffled unsurely to where the fountain ran noisily, she half expected him to stop her. The Assassin did nothing, not even as she climbed and vanished from the bureau. He waited until he could hear her footsteps no more and began prowling around the small room like a maddened tiger – he'd tried, he really had!

He wondered himself how he had gotten involved with such a selfish, stubborn, ungrateful _child_! They had nothing in common! They very rarely agreed on anything, she was disrespectful, trouble dogged her every step, she was too carefree and trusting! He was certain that had it not been for Nazeera the girl would have met some terrible fate long ago! Why, oh why had he ever been attracted to her? If he could go back…_if he could go back he would do it all again_.

He would still enjoy her child like curiosity; he'd still enjoy chasing her over the roof tops, knowing that once he caught her she would surrender herself fully to him in any way he desired with little complaint. He reared back his fist and laid into the wall before him, he hit it until his anger abated and his knuckles were bloody and raw before he leant back against the wall and slid down, the weapons on his back screaming down the stone as he went.

"Better?" Malik's voice rung in his ears, he didn't need a lecture right now, "I am only grateful that Nazeera is too delirious to have understood that argument."

"Malik…"

"I have ears, I heard what she said…it was harsh – she had no right to say those things but you must understand why she is angry." He had been listening to them snipe at each other for the past few days, their bickering had driven the others away and if he had not been taking care of Nazeera he would have locked himself in his room just to avoid them. "You have not exactly been considerate of her either."

Altaïr scowled unhappily, "what would you have me do? She refuses to see sense!"

Malik sighed; sometimes the younger Assassin could be completely stupid. Everyone could see the problem but him! If he didn't step back and let Azurelle learn how to deal with her changing body and moods then she would hate him more and more. "Altaïr, do you remember when you fell in the lake and nearly drowned?"

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"Well you do not go near water unless you absolutely must…why?"

Altaïr furrowed his brow, what was Malik talking about? Had he gone completely mad now? How did his completely _rational _fear of water have to do with his problems? "I don't understand your point, Malik…stop speaking in riddles!" he received an exasperated exhale from the older man. "I do not go near because I can not swim; it is common sense to avoid a known danger, especially with first hand experience."

"I know you are smart, novice, think on that for a while and you will realise what I am trying to teach you." Altaïr stared at him in confusion, what was Malik trying to say? Perhaps he could take a wild guess?

"Are you telling me to go after her?"

Apparently not by the man's annoyed look. "Oh dear, you have become a moron…there goes all hope for the future of the Brotherhood."

00

She'd been trying to go out for days, all she wanted was a few hours out of the stuffy bureau and now that she actually had her freedom she couldn't enjoy it! Because of Altaïr she was angry instead of enjoying the sunny day…because of Altaïr she was feeling ashamed of her behaviour. He was only trying to look after her and the annoying bump - that wanted to be fed again, "you're going to make me fat!" she said in a disapproving tone whilst lightly stroking her stomach which seemed to have grown over the last few days, perhaps it was all the sitting around doing nothing. If she had been in her own clothing, Azurelle was sure she could have hidden it, as it was she was borrowing her sister's clothing, apparently she left a change of clothes in Malik's bedroom, the material was like everything her sister wore; yellow and soft and smooth. It had long sleeves and was fitted over her chest before cascading modestly down to her ankles, unfortunately it showed the bump proudly, the bright colour making it more obnoxious, _'just like your father'_ she snorted.

Sighing tiredly she made her way over to small food stall, it was mostly bread and fruit but it would do, she knew that if she didn't eat she would suffer for it later with tiredness and a horrible feeling that made her nauseous. After picking a few things and finding out how much the sleepy old man wanted, Azurelle realised she'd left everything at the bureau, how embarrassing was this going to be! Just as the brunette opened her mouth to apologise a familiar gloved hand came into her view and paid. "He let you out all on your own?"

"…you're following me, aren't you?" she turned coming face to chest with Bosque, "Listen, I don't know who you are bu-"

"Friedrich." She looked up at him in disbelief, was this man mentally challenged, he was all friendly with her one moment and then threatening to kill people the next! "Don't get angry, surely if I am going to stalk you, as is your belief, you'll need to know my name." His grin made her shake her head, it was strange but she found herself with the ghost of a smile on her lips, though it wasn't the smartest of things to do Azurelle decided to humour the Templer – purely to spite Altaïr.

"So, where are we going to eat lunch?" she watched him purse his lips and stroke his beard, "a roof or a bench?"

"Bench." He said definitely whilst regarding the small bump, "you are too far along to be scaling walls."

Azurelle scoffed, "Are you an expert on this?"

"I have four children, I delivered two of them, my daughter was due to have her own child before I was shipped out here – then there is the apprentice doctor thing I have going…" he started to walk and she followed, "I think I'm somewhat of an expert now…I'd place you at either the end of three months or a very early four." He didn't lead her far, just to the edge of the market where there were steps leading up to a random building. There they sat in relative silence, Azurelle fingering the material of her dress, "what's wrong?"

"I-I didn't think he was…that old…" she frowned, she'd picked up Altaïr's habit of referring to the baby as male, "I had a fight with Altaïr…I know he's your enemy but…will you listen to me? Usually I'd ask my sister…" she'd felt so lonely without the older woman to guide her and chat with.

Bosque nodded, "I'm sorry for your loss, I promise you Qiblatayn will pay for his hand in the woman's death." He wasn't a fool, he'd known the slimy little worm had taken matters into his own hands and messed up, he was more than furious with the spy.

"She's not dead! Nazeera survived…but she has a horrible fever, I don't know if she can fight it for much longer though. She goes in and out of delirium…sometimes she doesn't even know who I am." Azurelle stared down at her lap and fought back tears, why did she have to be so touchy about everything! "Qiblatayn better pray that you find him before Malik."

Bosque took an orange from her and set about peeling it, "what was this fight about?" he asked trying to distract her as he handed her a segment of the orange, "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No!" she sent him an angered look; her worry for her sister erased. Altaïr would never intentionally hurt her! He had yelled at her but he would never raise his fist to her, this she knew absolutely. "He won't let me leave the bu – house. He won't let me leave the house; he tells me when to sleep, when to eat, how much I should eat! He won't let me do anything that requires moving! He seems to think I will smash into a million pieces! Ever since he discovered I was having _his _child he's been unbearable! I don't think we can stand each other if we're not having sex!" she chewed on her bread viciously.

The German had to suppress a laugh, he'd never seen anyone eat so self righteously before, he made a show of clearing his throat before daring to reply, it could be his head she chewed if he irritated her further. "…he's just being – "

"Protective! To the point of being obsessive!" she threw her hands into the air, "I'm tempted to tell you where he is just so you can have a try of beating him senseless! Don't laugh! I can't get it through his thick skull that I have learned what happens when I don't feed his obnoxious baby! Or if I don't get enough sleep!" she watched the Templer chuckle behind his hand, how dare he be amused by her misfortunes! "I'm giving up an awful lot to have this baby, he could at least trust me to carry his son!" her rant finished abruptly when her bottom lip quivered so much that her voice wavered. She hid her face in her hands, "he told me he didn't want to see me again…"

"What! Then he is a fool!" the bald man stroked the top of her head, "perhaps you are better off without him! I think I'd do you a favour by ending that filthy Assassin's life!"

"Could you stop telling me that!" she was angry at Altaïr but it still frightened her that this goliath of a man was going to try and kill the father of her child! "besides, I told him that I hated him, that I regretted ever being with him…I even said I hated my baby…" she hugged her middle as if that would be enough to apologise to the tiny one, she hadn't meant any of it, she just wanted the man to know how frustrated she was being treated in such a way! "I didn't mean it…I didn't plan on any of this happening to me but I accept it…I don't hate my baby!" she didn't resist when she was pulled into a one armed hug, "are you only doing this because you want to get at Altaïr?"

"No, you remind me of my daughters at home. There is also another reason…it's a secret though…if you promise not to cry anymore I'll tell you." Azurelle sniffled and wiped her eyes for the man. "Come with me, I can't tell you out here – I'm too closely watched." He winked at her look of surprise. Taking her hand, Bosque began walking deeper into the rich district they were on the edges of. They'd only been walking ten minutes when the girl paused with a look of discomfort. "Do you wish to go back?"

"No…I keep having pains…" she took a deep breath, annoyed at how easily she was fatigued.

"Pain in your lower back is normal." Bosque said reassuringly. She shook her head at him, it wasn't her back, it was her entire stomach, she'd been having small cramps now and then over the last two days.

"Can he kick yet?"

"…maybe?" he shrugged and waited until she was ready to carry on, "the church is not far now." He was taking her to the church? She supposed it made sense, he _was_ a Templer! True to his word they arrived at the church in nearly no time at all and he led her up the steps to the slightly ajar door where he stopped and glanced down guiltily, "I am so sorry I had to do this in such a manner." He placed his hand on the back of her neck and forced her into the church.

Azurelle tried to struggle but he tightened his hold, "You bastard! Let me go!" she hit him with her fists and tried to kick him but he had already pushed her inside and shut the huge door.

00

Malik had his hand holding firmly to Nazeera's left shoulder, as it was the only place he could hold her down and not hurt her injury, "it's me, woman! Calm down!" she thrashed and struggled against him, her small voice ranting for him to get away from her. Altaïr came into the room and helped the Dai to restrain her; her skin was like fire in his hands.

"She has strength enough to struggle." Altaïr said as she tried to push him away, "Nakim!" the masked Assassin came into the room carrying a new medicine from the doctor, this did little more than dull her pain and make her sleep for a few hours. They battled her as gently as they could to try and force the liquid down her throat, Malik tried to soothe her as best he could but she didn't seem to recognize him and even when they succeeded in treating her, the dark haired woman still muttered for him to save her. Unable to watch her any longer the one armed man left his room to pace his study, he was helpless to do anything for her – he _would_ find the one who had hurt her and he _would_ kill them slowly. Altaïr watched him pace, he could see the murderous intent clearly on the man's face and he didn't feel like getting too close.

"Distract me." He ordered suddenly, his eyes boring holes into Altaïr, "Have you realised my lesson yet?"

"eventually…" he said slowly, "I should back off and let Azurelle learn from her mistakes and by doing this I won't have to force her into submission." If she realised she would feel nauseous if she didn't eat regularly, she would learn to eat before she felt sick. "Do I get to see another day?"

Malik let out a short harsh laugh, he was still angry and he got a strange satisfaction that his behaviour had the great Altaïr edgy, "Well done, but you are still a novice!" he turned to the other man, his eyes alight with worry, "…do you think she'll make it?"

"Mali – " a crash came from the next room, someone had hit the trellis covering the roof in their haste to get in and both Assassins drew their blades thinking it was an intruder before hearing the young Abdul's voice.

"Master! Master! The Templer!" the boy was gasping and heaving for air as he leant on his knees, clearly exhausted, "He –he!" he gulped in a huge breath of air, "I saw the Templer forcing Azurelle into the church!"

Altaïr grabbed the boy by his hood, his heart clenching painfully and making his breath shorten as he barked, "You're sure!" he snarled and the boy nodded furiously.

"I saw him with his hand wrapped around her throat! He has her, Master!"

000

I struggled with that chapter…can you tell? I started with no idea what to write and then type-puked this up! Silly Azurelle should have listened to Nakim when he told her to not believe her eyes!


	11. Chapter 11

Edited 6/9/10

He flew across the rooftops faster than he ever had, faster than if he was being chased by someone of equal skill and still he couldn't seem to go fast enough. He'd left Nakim in the dust, the other Assassin was getting on in years and had never been known for his speed, he was an excellent teacher and fighter but he'd passed his peak. As far as Altaïr was concerned he needed no help with retrieving the girl – he'd handled every Templer in Cyprus alone after all! What had seemed strange was that Malik kept asking Abdul to describe this Templer to him; why would it even matter to the Dai?

"You! Get down, now!" Altaïr saw a soldier to his left begin readying his bow and slowed only to bury a silver throwing knife into the man's throat, if the fool had stayed silent Altaïr had no doubt he'd be carrying an injury by now. He had to focus, so intent on getting to the church he'd forgotten to scan his surroundings! Altaïr slowed his steps; surely if the Templer wanted to kill Azurelle her body would have been left for him to find when she'd met the man after the festival. The Assassin leapt over the roofs less desperately, his heart beating anxiously as he wanted to go faster, at this speed he could think, he didn't want to think! He'd been a fool to let her out of the bureau…and to tell her to go and get herself killed! He should have known she'd listen to that order!

"Altaïr!" Nakim had caught up, "I thought I'd never catch up!" he took a few deep breaths now that Altaïr had paused, his eyes trained on the church before them, "how will we get in?"

"I can get in through that broken window…it is likely those bastards there will see me, though." The window was nearly eighteen foot from the ground, there were very few places Nakim could see for the Assassin to haul himself up on, below it was a large group of soldiers, "I know it is dangerous, I would not ask you to do it alone but I have no other choice!" the older Assassin clapped his hand down on Altaïr's shoulder.

"I will fight them, lead them away if I can…most of them are more baby faced than our novice – they will likely fall quickly!" he tensed his left arm and Altaïr heard the hidden blade retract, "safety and peace, Altaïr." He leapt from the low roof and swooped down, his blade killing the commander of the small group. It only took a moment for the stunned group to pull out their weapons and counter the attacker; Nakim had already disposed of another two by the time the first sword struck against his. It was at that moment Altaïr leapt for the wall and landed a few feet above their heads – Nakim cut down the only man that had seen him.

00

The church was small, it was barely finished being painted and had only a few holy men inside, they were ordered to leave by the large Templer and they obeyed like scurrying rats. "This isn't the grandest of places, it isn't really ready to be called a church yet but it is secret enough for me."

"Let me go! I swear that if you don't I'll – " Bosque released her neck and she stopped her threat in surprise, she wasn't expecting him to listen to her at all.

"I had to bring you in like that, I was being watched by one of my subordinates…if he saw me being so friendly with you he would suspect me of betraying our Templer masters." He sat himself down on a wooden pew, seeming to be completely relaxed and appearing harmless once again.

Azurelle was furious with herself, she marched to the altar and turned to glare at him, this was the furthest she could be from the snake as he wouldn't let her near the doors, "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you! I shouldn't have believed you were what you seemed!"

"Nothing is true – Everything is permitted."

Azurelle was taken aback; she'd heard that phrase countless times. When she was young and had gotten too close to the Assassin's fortress she'd first heard the phrase, it was something she grew up hearing Malik say when he visited her sister, Altaïr had uttered it many times, Nakim was always telling Abdul as well. It was a phrase as common as 'safety and peace' among the Assassins. "Where did you hear that?"

Getting up, Bosque slowly ambled towards her, frowning when she backed into the altar table behind her and protectively surrounded her bump with her arms; he'd not meant to frighten her. "Twenty years ago I joined the Templers, at the time I believed every single tenant and I would happily destroy any man who told me I was wrong!" he stopped a few feet from her before she grew too skittish, "it was years after the second invasion of this land that I found myself doubting my beliefs…I was sent here with my fellows to find weakness, something that might cause us to arms again. The things our leaders made us do! It was heinous, they seemed to take joy in torture and the practical slavery we were forcing people into, even our own were attacked for not being faithful enough!"

He sighed, his face scrunching up at the disgust he felt, "there was a small church and the holy men inside gave shelter to everyone, they didn't care what religion they were, their status in society – these men took them all in! To the Templers it was an insult and we were sent orders to burn the church…with everyone inside it." She winced and Bosque assumed it was because of his story, "I followed these orders but as the screams erupted and the bells were rung for help…I realised this was not what I had joined for, this was not a noble cause to spread the word of god it was to force it. I went to open the doors to let them escape but my comrades beat me nearly to death and I truly feared for my life." He stepped closer and pulled off his left glove, he turned his arm so that she could see the inside of his wrist, a small scar stood proudly from his tanned skin, "do you know what this is?"

The girl glanced at the mark, "it's…that mark is…" she exhaled sharply and rubbed her stomach uncomfortably. "The mark of the Brotherhood…it's an Assassin's mark." He nodded at her answer, he wasn't happy with the way she was reacting, was she in pain or perhaps nervous enough to feel sick.

"Are you alright?"

"I told you earlier, it's only a few cramps!" she snapped in irritation, why didn't people ever listen to her? "How did you get that scar?" perhaps his voice would distract her from the growing discomfort.

"I was saved by Assassins who had been taking refuge in the church, they'd climbed out, killed the ones I was with and opened the doors. I was taken as a prisoner; I would perhaps have information as to why the Templers were still snooping around the holy land even at a time of so called peace. I met a man called Al Mualim…he demanded answers and I gave him everything I had willingly – every plan, every place we hid, people we had influence over…I told him why I was telling him. How I was so disgusted with our crimes and the abominations we performed all in the name of god and I asked him to kill me." Bosque paused; he was thoughtful for a moment and then continued his voice quieter, "he refused. If I was so intent on dying I could throw myself from a cliff but if I wanted to _redeem_ myself I would help him. I would throw myself back into the life of a Templer, I would become a high influence and I would use this influence to help the Brotherhood...I did as he asked. I was sent back to Germany where I could order my own men and make decisions on how to better our control over the masses. I sent messages to Masyaf as often as I could, my wife often the one carrying them to the boat to keep me out of suspicion."

"Then why are you here? Why are you after Altaïr's life?"

"I'm not!" he denied vehemently, "because of his stunts years ago in Cyprus I was sent here to secure a hold on Jerusalem and find a way to destroy the hold of the Brotherhood…now that this latest crusade has become a mere memory it is easier for us to work secretly! I must meet up with Altaïr and let him know what is going on, that he needs to stop being so bloody blatant with his activities! You are the best way for me to meet him and were it not for the fact that I am watched as closely as an enemy I would have never of 'kidnapped' you like this. By now that young Assassin should have informed the others that I have you."

Azurelle's head reeled, so he was a Templer working for the Assassins by being a Templer…he could be lying. This could be another trick to gain her trust! He could be a Templer helping the Assassins by being a Templer but not helping them at all! "I need to sit down." She said pathetically, she was so confused she didn't know what to trust – he might have carved that mark in himself after seeing the symbol just once.

"Of course, come, you look as if you may fall" she stepped forward and just as he predicted she fell forward, Bosque held her up as she regained her footing he didn't expect her cry of fear though, "what is…when did this…" his blue eyes had followed her stare towards the floor where dark blood had pooled, she'd slipped in it which had caused the fall. The Templer lowered her to the stone floor, "you'll be fine! This happens sometimes!" he tried to reassure her as best he could but when the red began to stain the dress he wasn't sure she would be fine anymore, "has this happened before today?"

She gripped his arms firmly as he held her by the shoulders, "only a little the last day or so…" she whimpered. She hadn't told anyone about the intermittent cramping and the tiny spots of blood because she'd thought nothing of it and she didn't want to tell a bunch of men she was bleeding from such a place," she couldn't help crying now, what was happening to her? Was this normal? Despite her concentration on the red slowly swallowing the yellow of the dress, Azurelle heard a thump that echoed in the church loudly, both she and the man turned their heads to watch Altaïr stand. "Altaïr!"

The Assassin zeroed in on the brunette, she had tears streaming from frightened eyes and was trapped in the Templer's hold. She was still alive, he wasn't too late! Bosque stood up to face him and it was then that Altaïr realised she was bleeding. "What have you done!"

"I haven't done anything! Now stop standing there and – " the Templer barely had time to pull out his sword before Altaïr's clashed against it, "I do not want to fight you!" he pushed hard and sent Altaïr a few paces backwards, Bosque followed quickly to put some distance from Azurelle before they accidentally trampled her.

"You should have thought about that before you laid hands on her!" the Assassin's eyes pierced the German viciously before he launched himself again. The sound of metal scraping and banging against more metal echoed deafeningly in the church, Bosque never once took an offensive swing at his opponent; all he could do was struggle to defend against every strike. A hard kick to his knee forced him to the ground and he had to attack or he would be killed. He barely stopped the hidden blade from burying itself into his neck and struck the side of Altaïr' head.

"Stop!" he yelled as they both took a moment to recover, "I am not your enemy! You must listen to me!" by the feral look on the Assassin's face Bosque knew he wasn't going to get a word in. Not while Altaïr believed he'd hurt Azurelle and her baby, he was running on pure anger. "Help me out here, woman!" Azurelle blinked away tears as he called for her aid, what did he want her to do? What was to say his story hadn't been a huge lie from start to finish? And why would Altaïr even listen to her, hadn't he told her that he didn't want her in his sight? She watched as the battle started up again, Altaïr was fast, he was precise and every move boasted of skill and the promise of death. The Templer was skilled also, he was stronger than Altaïr but was struggling to keep up, his style wasn't made for defence as he continued to refuse attacking the other.

"Altaïr…stop…" she said, it was barely loud enough for him to hear, she tried again, "Stop! Altaïr he's…" Azurelle shook her head, what was the large man? A liar or an ally? Either way he was soon going to be a dead one! "Wait! Don't hurt him!" this time she was loud and she was certain he'd hear her. It fell on deaf ears though.

With a well practiced move, Altaïr got under Bosque's defence and struck his arm hard enough to force the sword from the Templer's hand and possibly break the bone. Satisfied that his enemy was now knelt on the ground with his arm cradled protectively to him, Altaïr took a step back, tensed his arm to release his blade and rose to strike the final blow. "No! Altaïr please don't hurt Friedrich! Please!" he froze with Azurelle hung on his arm, where had she come from? And why was she protecting this man.

"Let go!" he barked angrily.

"No!" she tightened her hold, she looked at Bosque and hoped she wasn't completely wrong, "show him!" he stared at her stupidly before realising her meaning. He lifted his wrist and held it in the Assassin's sight. "He's a spy…for you." Altaïr paused, what was going on here? Azurelle's grip loosened and she began to sink, Altaïr grabbed her and once realising she wasn't able to stand on her own allowed her to sit. She glanced at Bosque, "I swear, if you have lied to me I will find a way to leave you so crippled that not only will you wish you were dead you will be unable to end your own life."

"I have not lied." He told Altaïr everything he had told her and more beside, he referenced names of Rafiqs, Dais, masters and supporters of the Brotherhood that would know of him. He was quick for the girl's sake, she seemed so forlorn as she rested against the Assassin's leg, the man himself still looking fierce and ready for a slip up – any reason to bury his blade into the Templer. "I sent word to the Rafiq in Acre…he knows me, the old fool probably hasn't sent word here yet…"

"You expect me to believe all this? And even if it is true, Al Mualim turned out to be traitor in the end." He let his hidden blade whiz back into place and reached to pick Azurelle up, "I am taking you to a doctor."

"There's nothing any doctor can do. We can only hope that this is not a sign that the child is d -" Bosque let his voice die in his throat at the warning look he received from the Assassin.

"The blood…I-I've been bleeding for a few days…" he looked at her with confusion; he'd assumed the blood was from some sort of injury caused by the other man. Looking at her slightly flushed face and the way she held herself made him blanch in sudden realisation, "I'm sorry, I should have told you but…I was so angry and now…I know you hate me, Altaïr, but please forgive me!" he lifted her without a word, this was something they could discuss later _after _he'd taken her to Imran.

"There's a door through the priest's study to your left, there is a guard on the door, he should be on the left hand side." Azurelle sent him a small smile that ended in a grimace. The Templer watched as she was carried away and they disappeared, he studied his arm and swore at the damage that had been caused – he wasn't going to be fighting again any time soon.

00

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to help her!"

"How many times must I say it? There is nothing I can do for her! This isn't a case of covering an injury and hope it stops bleeding, Altaïr, there is no danger to her life. Take her home, keep her comfortable and pray that she doesn't miscarry."

Altaïr decided he hated that word. Every time Imran said it the Assassin's whole body was filled with dread and he could only look at the blood on Azurelle's clothes, wishing fervently that his child was not dead. Why hadn't she told him sooner? If he'd have known he would have…he had no idea what he would have done – he knew nothing of pregnancies. Women got fat, whined a lot, screamed for a few hours and then a baby appeared. That was the extent of his knowledge on that subject. "If I had have brought her earlier…"

Imran shrugged unsympathetically, "I'd have told you the same thing. I've seen this happen to many women, half of them carry on with a normal pregnancy and half lose their babies, only Allah knows what will happen!"

"I am not a religious man, Imran, do not fob me off with such a thing." The doctor waved his hand dismissively and left Altaïr with Azurelle huddled on the table where he'd left her. "…" he opened his mouth and shut it again, not knowing what to say to her in this situation.

"He said I could clean myself up here…could you get me something else to wear?" she muttered, "I don't want to go back to the bureau like this…unless you don't want me there, I'm sure the Troupe is still at the inn and…" she watched him sit gingerly beside her, his hood hiding his face, she hated that hood sometimes, she was shocked when he took her hand in his gently.

"I did not mean it when I said to stay out of my sight; I was angry and so were you. You had every right to be angry at me and I know you did not mean it either. I was wrong to treat you the way I have and I apologise…" he released her hand and walked to the door he'd once again broken, "I will get you clothing and then we will return to the bureau…I would be grateful if you would stay rested for a few days, after that you can leave as you please."

"With an Assassin to follow me around?" she asked trying not to sound ungrateful – she was beyond happy that he still wanted her.

"No." he said simply, "with an Assassin _beside_ you."

000

I'm a little bit woozy, tomorrow I'll probably look at this and go, WTF did I write? But be nice to me! I gave blood today and fainted! …again…they were expecting it this time!


	12. Chapter 12

((this is a sort of a nothing chapter, some things needed to happen to give this story a push in a forward direction, Altaïr's speech at the end (in italics…unless this is AFF, then I don't know how to make an italic!) is direct quotation from his codex. As I said, not a lot happens and the next chapter will be, 'the big move'))

"Welcome back, Azurelle." Said Nakim as he helped her down from the roof.

"Nakim! Your eye!" he let her go and laughed as she examined his blackened and swollen eye, "What happened?" Altaïr landed behind her and set about collecting every pillow he could find, including a few blankets and making her a nest, Azurelle looked at it with a sour look, it was a little overboard! "…what are you? A pigeon?" he rolled his eyes at the question.

"Humour me and pretend _you_ are a hen and nest." She did as she was told, throwing a few of the pillows out of the way when he was not looking. Altaïr glanced at Nakim's face, "I am glad you are alive, I was worried you were too old for this job."

"A few soldiers had nothing on me! It was just unfortunate I ran into one of their fists." They shared a laugh before Nakim got back to business, "Malik has asked to see you as soon as you returned."

"Of course," he checked on Azurelle, she stared out at the afternoon sky with a saddened look as she tried to appear normal. "Watch her for me?"

"You don't even have to ask."

Malik was found bent over a map, the door to his room open but quiet. "She is safe I assume." Altaïr nodded when he looked up at him, "I have sent Abdul on an information gathering mission and I received a letter from Acre this morning, I regret not reading it sooner but I have been busy." he pulled out a note from beneath the map, "it pertains to the arrival of a 'huge, bald man with an obnoxious ginger beard'. He will be arriving in Jerusalem very shortly and will likely seek us out, was the general message. He is a spy…but by the look on your face you know this and you seem…disappointed?"

"I had hoped he was lying so I could tear him limb from limb when Azurelle was not around to throw herself to his defence." So the Templer was telling the truth, it did not mean Altaïr had to trust him though.

"She did what?"

"He told her his story and she seems to believe him. Saying that though, he would be dead now if it were not for her stopping me." He hadn't really been thinking at the time, his vision was red with rage when he'd thought she was hurt and all he wanted was for the man to be dead and bleeding out on the stone floor of the church. "I was livid."

Malik rolled the map up and put it away, "because he had taken her?"

"Because I thought she had been stabbed." Malik looked up at him with concern deep set in his eyes; he pulled his bedroom door closed quietly, "is she awake?" Altaïr asked.

"Coherent enough to understand what goes on, whatever it was Imran sent to give her it has worked, her fever has fallen and she is not hallucinating anymore. Now what do you mean, 'stabbed'?" Malik listened patiently as Altaïr described how he had found her, which explained why the younger Assassin had returned briefly for clothes, he relayed what Imran had said and how Azurelle hadn't told any of them about her pain before hand and that now all they could do is wait. "Has the bleeding stopped?

"Yes, it seemed so much at the time but it stopped soon after it started…but it is enough to endanger my baby's life." They fell silent, Malik seemed as if he was holding his tongue, it was unusual for him not to blurt out what he was thinking and it disturbed Altaïr more than he liked, "say it."

"You did not yell at her, did you? About not listening to you and running off."

He smiled, usually Malik would not be far off in his assumption but Altaïr had reigned in every ounce of his control to not instinctively blame it on her for not doing as he said, "no, Malik, I didn't. It is not her fault…Imran told me as much. He says it can happen to any woman in the first few months, it is rarer for it to happen so far in but it still happens and there is nothing that can stop or help this from happening."

"So far along?" his eyes widened in surprise, he had thought she was only a few months.

"She is a 'late shower', according to our dear doctor, first time mothers take longer to show their condition and then suddenly there is a bump. Not usually as big as she is but Azurelle is small." He thought of how quickly Azurelle's stomach had swelled, "I also did a little math earlier."

Malik raised his eyebrows and enthusiastically congratulated the Assassin, "you did math? Oh, Altaïr, I am so proud of you!" he dodged the knife thrown in his general direction, "your aim could use some work though."

"You are a riot." He continued his previous train of conservation, "Do you remember when I was last in Jerusalem?"

"…you had just come back from Masyaf…something about a slaver brought you here. Four months ago, you were here for about two days and then left for Acre. Is that when you think she conceived?" Malik thought for a moment, "hmm, must have been because you did not stay here a single night." The far off look in the other man's hazel eyes made Malik shake his head fondly, "do not reminisce in my study, Altaïr, especially about how you impregnated her." He became serious again, he was in a better mood now that Nazeera was healing but he still had a job to do, "this Templer, what will you do?"

"I do not know, for now I am only concerned with Azurelle."

"What will you do if the baby is dead?"

Altaïr visibly flinched; he wished the man weren't so blunt, "…my offer will still stand to take her to Masyaf, she will want to stay with Nazeera or maybe she will go to India with her Troupe." He took a breath, "either way I will let her do as she pleases." He no longer wanted to talk about the possibility of losing the child, "please, Malik, I can not talk about this right now."

"Of course – go to her." Altaïr had been slowly edging out of the room during their talk, he seemed eager to get back to her; he was probably more worried than he was letting on. Altaïr was gone before the Dai could finish his sentence.

0

Azurelle was listening to Nakim regaling her with his earlier fight, he was explaining in great detail, his arms waving about, on how exactly he came to have a black eye that was nearly swollen shut. She looked genuinely interested in the story, from experience Altaïr knew she loved hearing stories, he watched her from the doorway, her small hands rubbed her stomach gently the entire time. "And then I killed him…I know a little anti climatic but that's how a fight is!"

"I think maybe you should get your head looked at, it has gotten worse since you started that story."

"A visit to Imran may not hurt and here is Altaïr!" he cocked his head to the side and her grey eyes followed, "would you like anything bringing back while I go have my eye scored?"

"Something sweet?" he nodded and then called through to Malik who said the same thing. She beckoned for Altaïr and shifted forward in her little nest for him to slip in behind her. Azurelle leant back against his chest and sighed contently when he placed his hands on her stomach and stroked the bump gently, "…I'm sorry." She murmured for what seemed the hundredth time.

"It is not your fault!" how many times did he have to tell her before she'd believe him? "Do not think about it…" he tried to think of something to distract her with, "Nazeera's fever is breaking and she knows who we all are again." At this she turned her head to look at him.

"Really? Can I see her?"

"No." came her answer from the other room, "she would kill us all if we saw her in such a state." Malik then went back to his writing, he smirked when he heard the girl mutter about him having big ears – it wasn't true, she was just loud.

00

Azurelle bit her lip as she tried not to scream, it felt like years since she'd last been with the Assassin and he was relentless in his actions. His tongue plunged into her expertly, before he replaced the muscle with his fingers, his thumb rubbing circles on her swollen bud as he gazed up at her with half lidded eyes. Her head was thrashing from side to side and her back seemed to be stuck in an arch as her fingers clawed into the blankets beneath her – he was going to kill her! Her chest heaved and she thought her lip would rip with the pressure of her teeth, his free hand travelled leisurely up her body and paused at her mouth where Altaïr forced her lips to part, his fingers pulling her bottom lip gently so she could breathe. "You will pass out at this rate."

"b-but!" she tried to bite down a moan but he wouldn't let her, "they'll – people will – they'll hear!" she watched his smug smile form as he curled the two fingers inside her and caused her to keen loudly before he continued the simple push and pull rhythm. He didn't care who heard them, no one would want to investigate who was having sex on their roof, "ah! Altaïr! I-I –please! Please!" he smiled lazily as he watched her, this was only their third coupling and she was still so responsive to him, she begged him so prettily with swollen pink lips and flushed skin. He'd been teasing her for a while now, drawing her to the brink of orgasm and then denying her had proved quite entertaining but she was exhausting fast and his own swollen member throbbed painfully.

The Assassin coaxed her into turning onto all fours for him; she trembled all over and was barely able to hold herself up, perhaps he should take it easier on her next time and not tease her so ruthlessly. Altaïr stroked her hips gently, his right hand drifted down over her back in a soothing motion, "remember to breathe," he muttered before swiftly pushing himself into her. Azurelle cried out loudly as her body tensed at the invasion, he was deeper than she'd ever felt him in this new position. Altaïr gave her a moment to adjust before pulling on her hips and beginning a quick and merciless pace, she moaned and keened and clawed at the blanket beneath her fingers as he sunk into her tight, hot body over and over. "breathe." Her breath hitched as her lungs burned painfully, "breathe damn it!"

0

"Azurelle!" grey eyes shot open and blearily tried to focus on the blob floating in front of her vision, "breathe for me!" She knew that voice or she thought she did through the pounding of her heart thudding in her ears, she vaguely realised she was panting hard and there was a hand on her chest trying to slow down the rise and fall. What had happened? Hadn't she just been having the most amazing sex on a roof with Altaïr? Why was he now hovering over her and why did he have his clothes on?

"Where are we?" Altaïr heaved out a sigh of relief, they'd fallen asleep with the afternoon sun falling on them through the roof of the bureau and he'd awoken to her body thrashing against him, her breath coming in short gasps as she struggled in her sleep. He'd laid her down and tried to wake her but she had been deep in her dream.

"The bureau," he answered her when she continued to look at him with the most beguiled expression, "what happened?"

"A dream…or a memory…I think it was a memory?" she said quietly and sat up now that her breathing had calmed, "it was so real…and I was trying not to yell so loudly."

Altaïr's brows furrowed in thought, "so you nearly choked yourself?" he rubbed his temples in frustration, she would never cease to cause him problems…even her sleep was a threat! "Was this dream so bad?" Azurelle's cheeks bloomed red and she averted her eyes from him, it was hardly a bad dream! It was amazing and she would have liked to have seen it through to the end – instead she was left wanting and unsatisfied.

"I was dreaming about the third time we were together…when I came so hard I passed out and was so limp and brainless that you had to sneak me back into my room at the inn." Reaching her arms around his neck Azurelle pulled the Assassin to her lips and kissed his teasingly, her tongue playing along his bottom lip, "I woke up before we could finish though!" Altaïr growled deep in his chest and covered her mouth forcefully. He hadn't had any bodily contact with her for _days _and with her hungry eyes and soft little mouth on his, Altaïr couldn't help but bury his fingers into her wavy hair and pull her head further back so he could deepen the kiss.

She pulled him closer and they both stopped when he brushed against her stomach, the Assassin groaned silently and pulled back from her, "this would not be wise…"

"I know…I forgot," Azurelle said breathlessly, they couldn't do this now, it had only been a few hours since she'd felt horrible pain and the risk to her baby was too high no matter how much she wanted the man, "I shouldn't have started that." Now they were both hot and bothered with no real way to satisfy themselves – well Altaïr could still find release. The brunette ghosted her hand across his belt but was stopped there.

"no." he said firmly, "I am fine." Altaïr stood to give himself some distance. "How do you feel?"

"_Wanting._"

He suppressed a shiver, she looked ready to eat him and it was more than he could take, "I…" he cleared his throat before continuing, "I meant, other than having a dream that has left you in such a state, do you feel better? Is the discomfort gone?" he distracted himself by glaring at the two men peering through the doorway at them, Malik had a grin splitting his face as he went back to his work, Nakim's eyes twinkled merrily and Altaïr knew the man had a smile under his mask as well – it wasn't everyday they caught him being accosted by a woman.

"oh…no." she seemed to sober a bit, the harsh reality of her situation thrust upon her, her dream was becoming hazy and her feeling of arousal was dampened with the rest of the memory, "I don't feel anything…" she pursed her lips in concentration, her mind asking her body for answers that didn't involve the Assassin. "I'm hungry."

Malik decided this was the best time to interrupt as he hadn't wanted to wake them earlier and he certainly wasn't getting involved with her sudden friskiness, he still adorned his amused look as he spoke, "a pigeon flew in with a message not long ago, the Templer wants to meet with you. Something has happened and he must speak to you immediately, he has arranged a time and place and I am sending Abdul and Nakim with you – do not argue, Altaïr!" the Dai said before the other had even thought to open his mouth, "I am going to the Troupe's inn to collect some of Nazeera's things and tell them that she won't be coming back."

"And who will stay here with our burdens?" he was of course referring to the women they were keeping; surely they weren't being left alone? One was bed ridden and the other was…delicate. "This Templer wants me to meet him in an hour from now at the most obscure location! Can the inn not wait?"

"No, it can not."

00

Bosque stood from his perch when he saw the three Assassin's appear, his right arm was in a sling and he had a slight limp from earlier, he was alone, as far as anyone else knew he was in bed asleep – weary from his fight with the great Assassin. Altaïr regarded him coolly, distrust was evident in his eyes but he would listen and hopefully he would step into his role tonight. "Thank you for coming. I trust you believe me now?"

"I believe you, but I would not say I trust you." Was his reply, they stood across from each other in the darkness, "you wanted me."

"I did…can I ask how Azurelle is faring?"

"You can not." He wasn't here for a friendly chat, all three Assassin's were edgy, they expected an ambush at any moment – though, Altaïr highly doubted that Malik would lead them into a trap, "speak then, let us hear what you have to say."

Bosque nodded, "I have already told you why the Templers sent me here…today I found out why." He relaxed back on his perch, "there are serious plans for another war over Jerusalem and which religious group will dominate this abused city. The Brotherhood is the only thing that seriously threatens the Templers mission…as far as my masters are concerned – I failed to kill you, I am not _able_ to apparently. As such, they are going ahead with their other method of… _'Cleansing'_ which is to send as many men as possible and flush you out of Jerusalem." He regarded them all quite seriously, "four of you are not going to stand a chance; you'd have to bring in an army to have any real hope of stopping them."

So Jerusalem was going to be infested and the Assassin's would lose their eyes and ears to the city, "why do they want this city?"

"Jerusalem is in the middle of everything it seems, it has strategic advantages, information is rife and the culture is vast and impressionable. The Templers have been shrinking further and further into the shadows since your victories in Cyprus and soon they will vanish from under your nose…they think you will not expect such an offensive move from them. Any Assassin left in this city by this Friday will be eliminated." He watched them tense; the youngest gave a fearful look to his master at the unwelcome news, "many Templers are already here, they were disguised by the festival. The question is, Grand Master, what will you do?"

"I feared they were shrinking from our sight, I have been asking myself what I will do for years and I have come to some form of defence" Altaïr stared at the man head on, "_What follows are the three great ironies of the Assassin Order: One. Here we seek to promote peace, but murder is our means. Two. Here we seek to open the minds of men, but require obedience to a master and set of rules. Three. Here we seek to reveal the danger of blind faith, yet we are practitioners ourselves" _Bosque nodded his understanding, "we are perhaps a bigger threat to ourselves right now than any other enemy. _Robert de Sable__ may be dead, but his __Brotherhood__ survives. Though less conspicuous in appearance, I fear they remain a threat. Where once they proudly walked the streets - making for easier targets - now they retreat into the shadows. It grows difficult to track them. What wicked things will they weave in the darkness? Our work will be all the more complicated for it."_

Behind him Nakim nodded solemnly, he remembered when killing Templers used to be a sport of sorts, he and his brothers would compete to see who killed the most in one day – now they were scarce. The younger Abdul had never experienced a life with the bastards of that order dogging every corner of the holy land and it sounded as if he would never even know if there were! "My travels to Cyprus and beyond…_ made me realize that our tactics, too, must change. It means an end to our __fortresses__. To our penchant for spectacular displays of public Assassinations. We must weave our webs quietly. And we must do so differently than we have in the past_"

The Templer straightened up, was Altaïr suggesting a change? Would he be hearing the first real decisions of this somewhat wayward leader? "What will you do to combat this coming threat?"

"we will withdraw from Jerusalem, wipe away any trace that we were here…myself and Malik had planned to return to Masyaf shortly, we will just be forced to leave sooner than expected – let the Templers have this city…we will watch them from their own shadows." He turned to look at his comrades; this was better for them to hear face to face, "_Though I ask my brothers now to abandon their rituals, I do not ask that they abandon the creed. THIS is what makes us Assassins. Not the removal of a finger. Not a false promise of paradise. Not the prohibition of poison. Our duty is to the people, not to custom. If we must sneak, we shall sneak. If we must use poison, we shall use poison. If our blades can be used without removing fingers, we shall not demand they be taken. And we shall not manipulate our initiates with lies and parlor tricks. We shall speak plainly and honestly. We shall be made anew.._"

Abdul looked at Nakim, he wasn't against this new way, he rather liked having ten fingers but the other man had been with the 'old' creed for far longer than any of them – would he be so willing to change? Altaïr waited for his approval, Nakim would be the first test to see if his plans would be realised. "…this will certainly cause unrest, Altaïr…but I will follow you." He accented, "I've always wanted to use poison…perhaps find a way to incorporate it with my blade."

"You are so very disturbed, my friend." Altaïr felt a little weight leave his shoulders, this was a good start. Even Malik had been doubtful of his big ideas but the Dai had seen the benefits, if the brothers would not follow him they would follow Malik, "perhaps our Dai, soon to be second in command, will find a way to realise your dream." The Dai was good with problems.

The bald head man liked what he had heard, this sounded like a fresh start, one that might actually ruffle a lot of feathers of certain fat bottomed leaders, "I wish you luck, Altaïr…I promise you I will continue to send all I know of movement against you until there is such a time you have no need of me or I die." He held out his arm, Altaïr looked at it, seeming to dissect it carefully before he hesitantly gripped the Templer in a firm handshake. "Safety and peace."

It would take a long time, possibly a lifetime before he would trust this man but an ally was an ally, "…safety and peace."

00

Nazeera was lonely; she'd been stuck in this bed for who knows how long, tossing, turning and sweating! She'd had Malik with her of course but he had to work and she would have murdered him if he was a continuous presence beside her, especially as she felt so dirty! She'd managed to get herself into a sitting position, her breathing was heavy and her head swam dizzily from the lack of blood in her body and her skin was still heated with a fever caused by a small infection in her wound. It hurt as well…but there was nothing to be done now. Slowly, she inched herself forward off the bed, out of the little room and stopped woozily against a wall as she found her sister staring idly out of the roof, it would be dark soon and the men had only just left. Azurelle must have heard her because she looked up suddenly with a jolt. "Nazeera!"

The girl got up as quickly as her condition allowed her, a dull cramp shot through her body at the movement; she ignored it and went to her sister. "You're huge!" Nazeera gaped at her little sister's belly, how had she gotten so big in such a short time? "Are you having a camel?" Azurelle giggled, how she had missed this woman! "Don't get any closer! I'm dirty, I smell and oh, I'm just plain disgusting!"

"You're still my beautiful big sister to me!" she hugged the woman gently, avoiding the injured area completely, "I will help you wash if you like…wash your hair for a start." She regarded the tangled, greasy mess of black that dangled limply around her sister's pale and thin face, "And you must eat something!" she helped Nazeera over to the fountain and set her down, "this is the perfect time to clean you up now that all of our watch dogs are gone!" she padded off to find some things to clean her with, there was her favourite scented oil with her belongings in Malik's room. While she was in there she pulled the bedding off and quickly threw on clean sheets – her sister wouldn't want to wash only to get into a dirty bed!

Nazeera watched in fascination as her baby sister ran around after her, she returned after a long moment with a few things and demanded that the older woman strip. Azurelle worried that the water would be too cold but Nazeera seemed to lean in to the damp cloth, "you don't know how good this feels! I could die now and I'd be content!" the girl laughed and got to work on the mass of black hair. The sisters fell into a comfortable quiet as they continued to scrub away at least a week's worth of sweat and grime until Nazeera asked what she had missed, Azurelle hesitated before explaining everything.

She listened to the events she had missed, she grew furious at how Altaïr had been treating her sister, she was sure it was his fault that Azurelle had been suffering – his overbearing behaviour had stressed the poor girl so much that her body wasn't doing what it was supposed to do! A thought in the back of her head niggled annoyingly, it said that it was impossible for it to be Altaïr's fault and that she was just finding reasons to hate the man on principle. "I should be looking after you…not the other way around."

"No way! You look like death, you shouldn't even be out of that bed and when Malik finds out he will be so angry at us both!" she knew it would be best to make Nazeera go back to bed, something as simple as washing her own body was exhausting her little by little, "I need something to keep me busy…I do not like being idle right now. When I sleep I have the worst – or best – wet dreams I've ever had and when I'm awake I'm scared for my baby"

"…I did not need to know your dream…that's…disturbing, little sister." The woman tugged Azurelle to her, she winced at the movement causing her pain but she needed to comfort the girl, "I m sorry I haven't been able to help you and left you to stupid men, I will take better care of you, I promise!" Azurelle huddled closer; she'd needed her sister so much! Speaking to the woman let her get her thoughts in order and she didn't have to hide anything from her.

"I haven't felt anything for hours now…the occasional cramp but I can't feel him anymore, I don't even feel pregnant anymore!" Nazeera held her, "…I want to be wrong…maybe he's…sleeping?"

"Maybe…"

000

So yes, long, not much happening but now I can move on...on to Masyaf!


	13. Chapter 13

Edited 7/9/10

Malik reached the inn just as the last hints of day left the sky, he would have arrived sooner but why waste energy travelling across the roofs? He kept himself alert as he walked through the streets, he'd never liked this part of Jerusalem, it was filled with the worst kind of people, it was mostly falling apart and guards wouldn't even patrol the area. He knew for a fact that Gyani was not a poor man, he could afford to have his Troupe stay at a better place but the man was such a penny pincher – if the man's wife were still alive she would have beaten him to death for being so stingy! There was only a single light on and shadows flickered through the open – no the door was broken – and the voices that floated in the air did not belong to anyone he knew.

Peering around the doorway, the Dai's eyes widened, not even a few steps from him was young Nikeel's body, the boy's back was covered in cuts and slashes, he barely breathed. His scared wet eyes landed on the Assassin and he whimpered pathetically, Malik put a finger to his mouth, the boy needed to stay quiet! Further on were the bodies of the two youngest members, over them was one of the twins, his throat cut like the others – he looked as if he'd tried to protect the children. A yell came from the room above and Nikeel made another noise, this time alerting the solitary soldier guarding the entry room, "are you still alive?" his voice was laced with amusement as he stalked over to the boy, "what's wrong? Don't you have anything more to say?" he stood on the boy's broken leg and twisted his foot hoping for a scream, but Nikeel had no voice left, all he could do was hide his face in his arm, "you're no fun." Malik waited for the other man's attention to fall solely on the boy before he stepped out of the dark doorway and disposed of him; the blood spraying from the man's throat and covering the clay wall.

"Nikeel…how many are upstairs?" the boy looked at him in confusion, why was Nazeera's friend here and kneeling beside him? Staring down at the young acrobat, Malik resisted the urge to shake him; surely he was not so broken that he could no longer speak! "How many?" at his hissed question the boy seemed to become more alert.

"Three…" he muttered into the floorboards, he really couldn't keep looking up at the man, he was tired and everything hurt…he wanted his sister, Azurelle would make this better. "One man…he…he killed Nazeera…he said he fired the…" Nikeel went quiet then, Malik was sure he was dead until he took another ragged breath, "tell my sister…tell her we…we went to India…please…tell her that." He gave a last weak grin, his teeth covered in blood and pain so obvious in his eyes before he rested his head on the floor and stopped breathing

"…I will." Closing the boy's eyes, the Assassin stood silently, this wasn't the kind of visit he had planned, he was going to tell Gyani that Nazeera would not be returning, pay off her debt and then leave as soon as the man agreed. Now he was in the middle of a slaughter house, even people who had nothing to do with the Troupe were laying in pools of their own blood…at least he would get his wish tonight – he was going to make one man upstairs wish he'd never come to Jerusalem.

0

Qiblatayn was getting frustrated, he'd made an awful mistake by trying to kill the Dai himself, the archer who missed made a bigger one for missing and was long since dead – Bosque was not a stupid man though and he knew who had been responsible for the fuck up. If he could get the location of the Assassins hide out from these performers, who _had_ to know because their women were _sleeping_ with Assassins, he would have a chance to redeem himself and save his own life. Unfortunately they'd been very unhelpful so far, he'd even tortured the little ones in hopes that someone would say _something_! All he had left now was the leader, surely with all of his little money makers dead the man would want some form of revenge against the Brotherhood.

"You, go downstairs and grab that annoying kid, maybe if we break a few more of his bones the old man will talk." The soldier huffed in annoyance, this was going no where! Still, coin was coin and he was getting a lot of it for this venture. He left to carry out his orders – he hadn't expected to have his throat cut once he entered the hallway. "And you!" Qiblatayn snapped at the other guard, "Break his legs."

"This man is going to die very soon…you stabbed him too deeply and in the wrong place. You break his legs! This is going no where, they don't know anything and you can't pay me enough to continue." The soldier walked to the doorway muttering about incompetent fools.

"Stop! You will do as I say!" he smirked when the man did stop; he knew a soldier couldn't disobey the man paying them! "come back here!" the lanky man's eyes widened when the soldier was thrown into the room, "what?" he looked up and blanched at the sight of Malik blocking the doorway. He backed away fearfully; this man was going to kill him! "…please! I had nothing to do with this! They – the soldiers! They forced me to come here! I'll give you money!" he uttered desperately, everyone wanted money he could pay the Assassin off! He gave a nervous kind of laugh, "I'm a rich man, my friend! I'll give you anything you want! No! Don't hurt me!" he shrunk down and cowered as Malik advanced into the room and – walked right on by.

The Dai began cutting the man's bindings, "Gyani…this wasn't how I expected to see you again."

"No? Well…I wasn't expecting to see you at all and I doubt I'll _ever_ want to see you again." The man glared at Malik, this was all the Assassin's fault! If he had left Nazeera alone, like he'd been asked to eight years ago, his entire little family of performers would not be lying dead in the dingy little inn, "what do you want?"

"to tell you, Nazeera is alive and she will stay that way for as long as I am breathing…Azurelle is safe also." He'd said what he'd originally come to say, "Also what I want is that man's head on a spike." Qiblatayn paused, he had slowly been making his way to the door, he'd thought about stabbing the man in the back but escape seemed more tempting. Upon hearing the threat he scrambled quickly to the door and screamed when a knife embedded itself into the back of his knee, he yelled in pain as he tried to pull the knife out of the sensitive flesh.

"She's alive?" Gyani asked his voice somehow relieved, he seemed unaffected by Qiblatayn's screaming, "my wife would be relieved…she loved those girls more than anything…and you came here to pay me off I bet, so you two can go get married and live in that damn fortress." He watched Malik nod his head as he finished cutting the bindings, "I suppose I should wish you luck…and luck to my pregnant little protégé – don't give me that look! I'm not stupid! Nazeera told me when she used her earnings to pay Azurelle's debt early." Gyani winced, the wound in his side was bleeding heavily, he was going to die here and he found he really didn't care so much. He had lost everything now – he had nothing left without the Troupe, "You can have my blessing under two circumstances: One. If Azurelle has a girl, she must be called Rani. Two. That man, I want you to kill him and I want you to make him suffer."

"Oh, he will…" Malik regarded the miserable heap by the doorway with cold eyes, "he will."

00

He'd never seen two people look so guilty in his life. Altaïr looked at the sisters with slight disapproval and a great deal of amusement; Nazeera knew she wasn't supposed to be out of bed let alone moving around and Azurelle knew she wasn't supposed to be helping the woman do these things…yet here they were – caught. "Well?"

"Well…" Azurelle began before giving him an embarrassed grin, "she smelt really bad and her hair looked terrible and she threatened to shave my head if I didn't help her!"

"You are such a liar!" Nazeera squeaked before turning to tell her version of events, "she came into the room, lifted me into her arms and hauled me out here because there was a spider! And I'm far too weak to oppose her!"

"I picked you up?" Came her sister's dead pan voice, her eyebrow raised.

"And _threw_ me at the spider."

Altaïr shared a look with the other two Assassins, it was an impressive tale and they definitely got some points for looking as if they were telling the absolute truth, "how big was this spider?" asked Abdul.

"…filled the entire room…it saw Azurelle's face before I hit it and ran away across the roof tops in fear." Azurelle's mouth dropped at the insult, what an annoying woman!

Nakim shook his head, had these two always been so entertaining, "I see, well it must have been some ordeal…now I will carry you back to bed because I think you will die on your feet if you don't lie down soon. Abdul, be a good boy and hide all the evidence that she was out of bed." He motioned to the little pile of bandages by the fountain, "and check for giant spiders while you're out there."

The woman went into great detail of how she came to be out of the bed, Nakim nodded sympathetically and said, 'I see' intermittedly as he tried not to laugh at the ridiculous story being told. Altaïr shook his head, hadn't she stopped hallucinating? Looking at Azurelle he frowned, she looked as if she'd been crying quite recently and he wanted to know why. Before he could even open his mouth she was answering him.

"Yes, I've been crying…but I feel better now. There are some things a big sister can fix that no one else in the world can." She bit her lip in thought for a moment, was this the right time to tell him? Should she wait? It was better to get it over with surely. "Altaïr. Tomorrow I'm going back to Gyani…I've decided to continue travelling."

The Assassin waited for a moment, hoping she was joking or that there was more to it but as she continued to look at him he realised that was it. He thought they had sorted through this, she was going to Masyaf and she'd find something to do there and now she was going to India – with his baby. "Why? We have discussed this and especially after today it would be best for you to rest for the sake of – "

"He's gone…there is no more…" she choked on her words; she thought she'd cried herself out on Nazeera's shoulder! Why was she still crying over this? She wiped hastily at her eyes before any more tears could fall, "I can't feel my baby anymore and I'm sorry that I lost him. So surely the best thing to do would…there's nothing for me here…" how annoying, she'd had this speech all planned out, she had practised again and again on what to tell him and now she was standing in the middle of the room falling to pieces! Arms wrapped around her and she was crushed to the Assassin in a firm but gentle embrace, she hugged him back and let her hands claw into the material. "you must be hurting too…" she hadn't thought on that before, Altaïr had been so protective towards his baby, his hands always found her belly if they had nothing else to do and he'd sulk relentlessly if she wouldn't allow him to touch her. Every fight they'd had was because of his concern for the child.

He didn't know what to say to that, he hadn't wanted a child to begin with; he was going to wait a few more years before even considering the option! But for a little while he was going to be a father, it had terrified him at first, probably as much as it had terrified her but at some point he'd fallen in love with the idea. She'd been so brave with it all, she'd accepted the responsibility with only a little resistance and even now she was trying to be an adult and protect him, he didn't know what to say and that alone annoyed him! Yes he was…heartbroken. He didn't think he would be this upset over something as tiny as a baby. She pulled away from him, once again scrubbing at her eyes, "so…so that's it…" she hiccupped, "and – Malik!"

Altaïr turned to see what she seemed so shocked to see, "has something happened?" Malik asked as he took in Azurelle's tears and to his surprise, the look of _grief _in Altaïr's eyes.

"you ask that when you are covered, _completely covered_ in blood!" it was rare for Malik to get any blood on himself let alone so much, "who upset you?"

"I got a hold of the man responsible for Nazeera's injury." There was a frightening glint in his eyes, usually he took no pleasure in the death of others but this one…this one was most deserving of what he'd gotten. "Azurelle, I need a word with Altaïr…why don't you go check on your sister." He ignored the dirty look sent his way, "I am not blind, Altaïr, and I wouldn't ask if this were not important."

"It's fine…I'm…we're done," she gave a weak smile, "I should make sure there are no more spiders." She left before he tried to stop her, she wanted to find her sister and cry her heart out until she was dry and had no more to give.

The Dai sat and began washing the blood from his skin, "everyone at the inn is dead; guests, workers, the entire Troupe including Gyani. It would be best not to tell them about this – as soon as we can we should move back to Masyaf." He kept his voice low, it would not do anyone any good to hear of the tragedy at the inn, "it would be best to keep them away from the building; I might have painted the walls a new colour."

To say he was disturbed by that comment was an understatement, Malik was not a cruel man but it sounded and _looked _as if tonight he had become such a man. How was he supposed to explain to Azurelle that she was going with him to Masyaf even if he had to carry her the entire way, "we can not wait, Malik, we need to get out of Jerusalem by tomorrow night." He explained quickly about the information he'd been given by Bosque, "we can not stay here any longer."

"Are you telling me I have to get every last trace of us packed up and on the way to Masyaf, including a seriously injured woman and a pregnant girl by tomorrow morning? Have you even told Azurelle that she has to move tomorrow?"

"She was planning on going to the inn and vanishing to India tomorrow – I do not even know how I am going to get her to Masyaf! She has just lost our baby and now I have to explain that her entire family is dead..."

Malik closed his eyes unhappily at the news, no wonder they had both looked so broken, he had hoped it wouldn't happen after all the heartache they'd been through lately, "I am sorry…I do not know what to say…but Altaïr, we can not tell them about the Troupe…that was their entire life." He could offer no words of comfort to the man; all he could do was lift some of the responsibility from the man's shoulders. "I will get everything in order, just look after her."

Altaïr left Malik cleaning the remaining blood from himself, he had no idea how he was going to convince her to stay against her will and as he stood outside the door and listened to the little brunette pour her heart out to the other woman he didn't want to cause her any more anguish. She cried for nearly the entire night before slowly hiccupping herself to sleep and Altaïr stood by the door long after that.

000

Malik can move an entire bureau in less than twenty-four hours! He's like…super! He can tie the luggage to pigeons!


	14. Chapter 14

Edited 7/9/10

The crates were taken away by a trader by mid morning, the man often took goods as far as Masyaf and so his route would not be questioned, the Brotherhood was also paying him a lot of coin to get the contents to the fortress safely and quickly. Every book was coded, and they were mixed in with food items, jewellery, pots and other miscellaneous items that would not look suspicious, there was not a lot to transport but every item was of great value – especially Malik's maps, he was not doing them again! Their horses were waiting for them, packed and ready for the long journey ahead, Nakim and Abdul had already left, they would let the fortress know what had gone on. Nazeera had been looked at by Imran and as long as she did nothing, would be fine to travel as the only worry was the jostling of a horse would aggravate her wound; she suggested a different way of wrapping it and it ceased to be a problem. Azurelle…was another matter entirely.

She wouldn't speak to Altaïr, she wouldn't let him touch her and she wouldn't look at him either. She seemed to have woken up and become increasingly uncomfortable with his presence! He'd had to tell Nazeera to tell her that the Troupe had already left for India and there was no chance of catching up with them, at first Azurelle didn't believe the tale, which is when Malik confirmed the story they'd come up with in the night – she would have to go with them. She didn't take that particularly well and then there was the fact that there were two horses…she was going to have to share with Altaïr as Nazeera was with Malik. How could someone who had so desperately wanted him yesterday now seem disgusted by the idea of his touch? Imran had overheard this little conversation and come up with an answer – she didn't want anything around her that would remind her of the missing presence of the baby. That included the father.

He had said that suffering from a miscarriage could be very traumatic for any woman, not only was it taxing on them physically, but emotionally as well. Her body would heal and recover relatively quickly from the miscarriage but emotionally, the healing process could take much longer. This was her way of dealing with the loss and it would be best to leave her to it. Unfortunately it wasn't an option right now, they had to be out of Jerusalem as soon as possible and the only thing stopping them now was her reluctance to come out of her self induced isolation. Malik had suggested to Nazeera that she ride with Altaïr but had been shot down in record time – she was not sharing a horse with that man! "Then what do we do? I can not force her onto a horse!" Altaïr was at a loose end, he couldn't leave her in the city alone!

Nazeera frowned, they'd been arguing over what to do for an hour now and she had a terrible headache, "I don't know! She's grieving, she's lost her baby and she doesn't know how to cope!"

"Do you not think I am not grieving as well!" he was fed up with this woman attacking him relentlessly, he was hurting as well! Why was she so desperate to mark him out as an enemy and make it seem like he couldn't care less about Azurelle's feelings? His outburst seemed to have stunned her momentarily and she looked ashamed of herself. She had not thought about his feelings at all and now that she had - she seemed to have enough sympathy in her to leave him be for now. "I do not know what to say to make this better…this is not a wound I can bandage up and hope she gets better! Our baby is dead and I can not do anything about it!"

"…I know…I know this can't be mended and there is no one to blame for it." Nazeera leant against the side of a building while they waited for Malik to return with the last of their supplies, the girl they were arguing about was no where to be seen so they assumed she had wandered off with the Dai, it was easier to be with him for her, he didn't yell about what she should do all the time, Malik would let her be and wait for her if she had anything to say. "You were really looking forward to the whole fatherhood thing, weren't you? I saw the way you looked once she'd warmed to the idea, you read every text on child rearing you could find and I know for a fact you went out and bought those tiny little socks from that old lady…and it is unfair that I am blaming you for Azurelle's sadness." It was the closest to an apology he would get and he could only stay silent in response.

Malik chose that moment to reappear, "we are all set, I have chosen the route and we should be at the lake within five days if we leave now and keep a steady pace." He seemed pleased with himself, he'd moved the entire bureau with surprising ease and he was gloating, "That is assuming you are ready to go." The question was directed at the girl who had appeared from seemingly nowhere beside Altaïr, she nodded silently and reached to hold onto the arm of Altaïr's sleeve.

She gave him the tiniest of smiles and they made their way to the gates of the city. As promised to them the guards chosen for the gate were lazy or inexperienced, Bosque had made it easy for them to leave unhindered and the horses were given to them by the stable boy. Nazeera was grateful for the help she received from the younger Assassin to mount the large brown horse but Altaïr walked away before she could even thank him, she hugged Malik around the middle and rested her dizzy head against his back, "how did you convince Azurelle to come?"

"I did not…I thought you had?" they both sent a confused look over to the other couple, Altaïr had lifted her onto the black horse and placed himself behind her, the bump she sported made it difficult for her to ride behind, she shifted forward so she wouldn't be lent against him and sat silently. "She must have decided herself, she is a big girl, Nazeera, she will always make the right decisions in the end – if you let her." They departed then and Malik gave the city a backward glance. That had been his city for nearly five years and he felt as if he would miss it – he hated giving it to the Templers without a fight.

"You'll return there one day…maybe we'll bring our own children here."

"Children?" he asked incredulously, it had taken him years to get her to accept his proposal and she wanted children already? "How many do you want? Actually, no…let us not discuss this!"

00

It was painfully quiet for the first few hours, Nazeera had fallen asleep against the Dai's back and things were too tense between the other man and woman that Malik didn't want to start a conversation. Altaïr's arms ached horribly, he'd been holding them away from the girl so as not to upset her but he would give anything to be able to drop them, she was suffering as well, she'd held her body so rigid and she'd leant slightly forward to stay away from him that now her lower back felt as if it would snap. She saw his hands shake with the effort of respecting her space and she sighed in defeat, this wasn't doing either of them any good, Azurelle placed her hands on his wrists and pushed them down to rest on her thighs, "it's going to be a long trip…and I can't sit like this forever." She slouched with relief as the tension was released in her back, she was leant against him now but it wasn't so awful she thought. Altaïr leant his head towards hers but she turned away, "don't…please don't touch me right now."

"Why?"

"Because…I don't know, I just don't want to be touched." She whispered, he was such a pain with his questions!

"No, I meant, 'why did you change your mind?'" he had wondered that for some time, she was obviously uncomfortable with him yet she had gotten on the horse willingly.

"because I have no where else to go…and it's not your fault that I'm being awkward…I know you're upset as well, you're just better at dealing with it." He deserved an explanation didn't he? "Every time we touch…or if I think about you touching me, I want nothing more than your mouth on mine and…well, you know." She blushed under the scarf she wore over her head to protect her from the sun and hide her stomach from her eyes, "but then that's how I got pregnant…and it hurts to think about it."

"I will not touch you unless you want me to." He promised quietly and after that they fell into silence again, this one more peaceful and it dispelled the atmosphere around them enough for Malik to discuss how they were going to tell the rest of the Brotherhood of the changes that would be made without causing a riot.

0

The days were hot and the nights were bitterly cold, Altaïr and Malik took it in turns to keep watch over the fire and the girls would be wrapped around each other usually sleeping soundly, for the first night Azurelle had slept like the dead but the next few nights had her tossing and turning as she continued to dream about random encounters she and the Assassin had shared. Everyone assumed she was having bad dreams and left her to herself, one night she'd woken up so suddenly she'd alerted Altaïr's attention and woken Malik from his light slumber, her gaze collided with hazel and she looked at him with such hunger that the Assassin had to make an excuse to leave to stop himself from going to her – he was no longer under the impression that she was having nightmares.

It frustrated her to no end, how could her body betray her like this! Surely she wasn't so addicted to the man that she couldn't be near him without _wanting_ him! Perhaps it was because their entire relationship had been based on sex and that's all her body craved…she tried to ignore it and blame everything on her torn and frayed emotions…maybe she could sneak away for a little while and relieve her tension a little – no, last time she had ended up needing the Assassin to show her what to do! It didn't help that she was so close to him on the horse for long hours at a time, she'd found herself unconsciously rubbing her body against his during one particularly hot day and been forced to stop by his hands on her hips and his barely suppressed groan, he was stopping her before she _really_ caused him a problem. Altaïr was becoming increasingly frustrated also, she didn't want him to touch her but she rubbed against his body with delicious friction and gave him seductive half lidded gazes when she though he couldn't see – he was being understanding and he was doing his best to ignore her but he was a man and he hadn't had sex in weeks!

He slowed his horse and gave Malik some excuse about the animal needing a moment to recover. He followed behind the other horse at a slower pace and as soon as there was enough distance hissed in the brunette's ear, "You are slowly driving me insane, woman! Make up your mind before I do something decidedly foolish." She turned her head and regarded him with a pout on her lips and a dark look in her grey eyes.

"You mean to say…that's not your sword hilt in my back?" he saw the flicker of a smirk on her lips and annoyance flared within him. Without thinking he dove forward and claimed her mouth in a hard, domineering kiss, she twisted her body as much as possible to try and gain some sort of control but as his hands left the reigns to take hold of her face to deepen the kiss she could only give in and moan quietly as she let him lead.

"What is going on back there?" Malik asked Nazeera who was peering backwards to find out what was wrong.

"I think Altaïr's trying to see just how far he can stick his tongue down my sister's throat and she seems to be helping him." It was a little disturbing to see and she hoped they didn't attempt to do anything more on the poor horse. "…should I feel horny for witnessing this?"

"Perving on your little sister…I do not think that is a good thing."

"Maybe I was looking at Altaïr." She was joking of course but she enjoyed the way Malik grew taut in her arms, there was nothing she liked more than to make him jealous as it always ended well for her.

"As soon as you are well enough, I will make you regret that comment, habiba." She grinned into his back – he was so easy! There was a sudden noise from the horse behind and they heard unsteady hooves scuff the ground before Altaïr's voice was heard trying to calm the animal. Nazeera looked behind her and laughed at them. Azurelle was a bright shade of pink, he r head was lowered and her hands were firmly clamped onto her knees. Behind her Altaïr was looking extremely annoyed with the animal and he was doing his best not to let out a string of curses. "Did you kick your horse, Novice?"

"Fuck you, Malik!"

0

Somehow they'd arrived at the lake Malik had spoke of before they'd left Jerusalem, this meant they'd been travelling for a week and none of them could grasp that, it seemed to have flown by, perhaps it was because the road that had been chosen was quiet and disused or perhaps they'd filled the time with easy banter. "I can wash!" was Nazeera's happy cry as she was helped from the tired horse; she went straight to the waters edge and examined the clean, fresh water, "I won't smell anymore!"

"You do not smell now." She glared at the one armed man and he took the hint to be quiet, "fine, fine…pain in the arse."

"Finally! Somewhere to wash!" Azurelle rushed to her sister's side and they both chatted happily at the chance of some real hygiene. They left the men stood by the horses to stare in disbelief, they could be attacked at any moment and all they wanted was a bath.

" We should set up camp before it gets darker." They'd arrived a few hours late and it was now twilight, if they were quick they could get a fire going before it became night, "at least there are a few more hours before it becomes too cold to wash."

"Not you as well!" Malik shook his head, yes he would enjoy getting clean but he wasn't going on about it like the women, "why are you so desperate to – " Nazeera called him from the waters edge, she was slowly undoing the ties on her dress and crooked a finger for him to follow her, she had found a small pool within the walls of the cliff face that would give her privacy as she washed. "Actually, I think I could do with a tidy up and she might need...help."

Altaïr was left to set up all by himself, it wasn't that he needed help but it irritated him to no end, maybe it was because he knew what the two would get up to and he was being deprived, it had been a day since his episode with Azurelle. He threw the rolled up blankets to the ground as he unloaded the tired horses, he'd have to collect more items to make a fire later, they had enough for tonight and then that would be it. "Altaïr?" the Assassin looked at the girl sat on the rolls of material; she had a strange look on her face, a mixture of apprehension and indecision. "I don't think I can go three more weeks with this horribly throbbing need in my body."

"…and?" she wasn't exactly telling him what she wanted, she was telling him a fact and he wasn't sure how to reply to. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I was thinking we could both satisfy ourselves and then…call that it." It sounded foolish and she nearly regretted saying it, "I adore you, Altaïr, but I think we got too deep and we nearly ended up wanting to murder one another…when we get to Masyaf I don't want to go through this again and as incredible as it is being with you I don't want to continue."

"Then why not just call it quits _now_?"

"Because we're so frustrated that it would only be a matter of time before I end up in your bed again! Once more…tonight! Once more and we call that it." They could go their separate ways in peace, no animosity or electric tension between them. She watched him mill it over in his mind, he had to know what she said made sense!

Nodding slowly, Altaïr agreed, "once more."

000

Double upload! Two in one night! To make up for falling asleep and not writing the other night!


	15. Chapter 15

Edited 7/9/10

How could something they'd done so many times before make her nervous, true it had never been a planned event and it wasn't ever so final. Maybe her thinking hadn't been the wisest and she should just leave the pool before he arrived! But then she'd regret that… Azurelle sat in the cooling water, the little concealed area was shallow enough that when she stood it reached low on her hips, she had washed already and was now sat on a rock that allowed her head and shoulders to protrude from the water. The longer she waited the less nerve she had to follow through, the more she thought about how foolish this was and she twitched unhappily as she realised the bulge she had been so eager to ignore was still obnoxiously evident! It wasn't exactly attractive! Azurelle had been so concentrated on her own thoughts that she failed to notice the Assassin had waded in and begun to remove his hood and weapons, it wasn't until metal scraped across the rock that she looked up with a startled gasp.

"How long have you been there?"

"Not long, where is your head?" he didn't know whether to be amused or worried at her lack of concentration, was she having second thoughts? Altaïr mentally shook his head, of course she was! She always did! She wasn't aggressive when it came to sex, the small brunette was happy to follow his lead and even then she would be unsure of herself – he was still reeling from the shock of her suggesting this and being so forthright. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

She was relieved that he was being so casual about the whole thing, it made her feel silly that she was agonising over what was going to happen, if this was their last time she couldn't waste it by being frightened. She looked up to give him an answer, her mouth went dry instead – why, oh why had she never looked at Altaïr properly before? She had seen him without his clothing but had always been too embarrassed to actually _look_. She wished the moon was brighter or maybe that the sun would come out so she could se him clearer in the dimness. He was made of hard muscle covered in smooth, dark tan skin, the occasional scar marred his chest and arms but didn't detract from him in the slightest, she watched with mild fascination as each muscle under his skin flexed and stretched as he laid his clothing beside hers where the water wouldn't reach – how could a body boast of so much strength and power not be noticed by her! Was she blind?

Azurelle stood and slowly made her way over to the Assassin, he watched her as she shyly covered her breasts with her left arm and gently ghosted her right hand over his skin. He stood still and let her trace the ridges of his stomach, he tensed and suppressed shivers at the curious touches, "this is what you want?" he asked again, he wouldn't touch her until she told him.

"Yes." Was the murmured reply and that was enough to spur him into action. Altaïr leant down and kissed her, he was tempted to ravish her quickly and thoroughly but that would never be enough, he had promised to take his time with her once and as of yet hadn't done so; if this was the last time it would have to be now. He planted soft kisses to her mouth before trailing down to her neck and laying gentle, open mouthed kisses over the skin he found with his tongue and teeth. He relished the tiny whimper that escaped her as his hands slid down her shoulders and arms; he pushed her toward the wall and trapped both her wrists above her head with his left hand, now that she couldn't hide from him anymore her body flushed under his gaze before he returned his attention to her throat. "What are you doing?" it wasn't that she wasn't enjoying his gentle attention but it confused her – he wasn't usually so tender.

"Do you want me to stop?" she shook her head vehemently; she'd die if he stopped! She wriggled against his hold as he dragged his tongue across her skin; the wet muscle circled her right nipple lazily and no matter how much she moved he wouldn't allow himself to touch the stiff, aching peak, his fingers mimicked his tongue's movement on her other breast and he soon had her whining and fidgeting against his hold. Azurelle was about to open her mouth and complain loudly at his teasing but the suddenness of his warm mouth enveloping her breast forced her to moan instead as his teeth scraped over the sensitive nub and his tongue followed immediately after to soothe the sting. H e released her from his mouth and sent a devious smirk up to her as his hand continued to massage and roll the globe trapped in his right hand, "sorry, were you trying to say something?"

She glared down at him and after a few calming breaths she answered, "You're a bastard and I hate you!"

"Noted." He said with a smug grin, he straightened up as he reached below the waters surface and stroked the inside of her thigh; she bucked forward in an attempt to get him to touch her where she had been burning for days. Her strength surprised him and he loosened his grip on her hands, allowing her to snake her hands around his neck and forcing his head down to kiss her, for once it was she who pushed her tongue past his lips to start a fight with his and he let her lead their kiss. She knew she wasn't as experienced as Altaïr but she would make up for it with enthusiasm and strangely confident hands with fingers that dug in and dragged down over his ribs hard enough to make him hiss, it made him push back against her tongue and deepen the kiss. His hands tightened on her hips and his teeth suddenly caught her tongue, she squealed and pulled away, the little pink muscle sticking out ever so slightly as she ran a finger over it.

"You bit me!" the brunette frowned at him in displeasure. He didn't reply at first to her accusation as his teeth were clenched and his eyes had fluttered shut.

"If…if I had known you were going to – to grab me, I would not have." His voice was slightly strained and breathless, the acrobat let a slow grin split her face as she glanced downwards, where beneath the water she had her hand wrapped firmly around he Assassin's erection. She gave a gentle tug to the organ and he groaned low in his chest – here was another thing she regretted not doing sooner. She teasingly rubbed along his shaft, concentrating on the feel at first, it was like the hardest steel sheathed in soft velvet and she easily forgot that he was attached to it as she let her fingers explore further. Altaïr moved his hands from her hips before he crushed them under his grip, he planted them against the rocky wall and buried his face into her neck and shoulder and nipped lightly at her every time she stroked him.

She brought her other hand into play and let her fingers dance over his tip, her thumb brushing against his slit caused him to bite roughly into her shoulder, Azurelle gasped and her gentle tug ended in a twist that had a strangled moan tearing from the Assassin's throat and his teeth adding more pressure than he'd meant. He reached for her hands and guided them back up to his shoulders as he licked the blood away from her shoulder where he'd bitten through her skin, she pouted up at him and asked, "did I hurt you?" he kissed the mark once more, she sounded disappointed that he'd made her stop.

He lifted her onto his waist and she wrapped her legs around him and tightened her arms, "no, but if I let you continue," he carried her over toward the jutting, smooth rocks she'd been sat on earlier where the water was shallower and set her down, "this may be over before it has begun. Stick out your tongue." She poked out her tongue and he made a show of checking for damage, she was sat so her head was higher than his, she leant down and ran the little appendage across his bottom lip.

"You should kiss it better." He obliged her by sucking her tongue for a moment before tugging her head down against his mouth; once she settled into the kiss he rubbed along the soft skin of her thighs and spread them open. Her little mewling noises encouraged him further and his index finger ran over her damp skin until he found her opening and a different kind of wetness coated the digit, once again her hips shifted towards him and she was rewarded by him delving two fingers into her burning core. She tore her mouth from his as she pulled in a deep lungful of air and moaned unabashedly – she'd wanted this for so long! It occurred then to Altaïr that there was something else he'd very rarely done for her, pulling his hand away and resting it back on her thigh he told her to lean back. "What are you doing?" it sounded like a needy whine in her ears but she was going to burn from the inside out!

She watched him spread her further and lean forward, her eyes widened as realisation struck her – he couldn't! It was gross to even think about doing and it would feel weird! She hated when he did this it seemed so dirty! The first hard stroke of his tongue almost made her buckle and any thought of telling him 'no' died a quick death as her eyes rolled back in her head and her toes curled at the sensation. She didn't care if it was gross – he could do whatever he wanted as long as it felt like that! His grip on her thighs was bruising the skin but it was all he could do to keep her from snapping them shut on his head as she writhed and moaned every time his tongue pushed into her or lingered over and around her aching bud, he had barely even begun when she cried out and came hard over his wet muscle. Altaïr chuckled against her skin, she was still so new to all this and he'd taken no consideration with her before, she whined as his laugh vibrated through the raw skin of her sex. "Altaïr, enough! Please just take me!"

The Assassin helped her boneless body to sit up and he once again had her wrap her arms around his shoulders, her head lolled against his shoulder and he couldn't help nuzzling her neck sweetly. He would miss having her like this; she was his pretty little virgin that he would probably always crave every now and then. She still trembled in his arms and he took his time in slowly rubbing his hands up and down her body in firm, soothing strokes, "you will be a magnificent prize for a very lucky man one day," she smiled at his comment and just enjoyed the rumble of his chest against her as he continued, "and if I feel that he does not deserve you or if he hurts you – I promise I will hurt him far worse." His hand lingered against her belly for a moment and he sighed in resignation, soon all evidence of their child would be lost as well. Pulling her closer, Altaïr positioned himself at her opening and slid in slowly, her already soaking walls quivered and tightened around him, she easily accommodated him – whether it was because she was so wet or because she had been so desperately yearning for him that she didn't voice her discomfort he didn't know - It was probably irony teasing them, her body finally growing accustomed to him just as they were ending the affair.

"I'm ready," she huffed into his ear, he didn't need to let her adjust to his girth, "please move." She clamped her muscles down on his throbbing shaft and he bucked into her, he was a little irked that she wouldn't allow him a moment to enjoy the delicious feeling of being surrounded by her. But if she wanted him to move…so be it. The Assassin rolled his hips into her and her breath hitched each time he did it, she trapped her bottom lip between her teeth and he instinctively covered her mouth with his – it would be best if she didn't try and choke herself like before and he really didn't care how loud she would moan; let the others hear! Azurelle bit his lip and split the skin, Altaïr looked at her with widened eyes and saw the slight look of urgency dancing in her grey ones, she was trying to get him to go faster and he seemed to be going out of his way to be slow and purposeful! Giving in, Altaïr crushed her between his body and the rock before impaling himself deeper and harder into her welcoming folds. The brunette wailed loudly, the sound echoing off the little cavern's walls along with his deep groans – it wasn't fair! She'd teased his body cruelly for the last few weeks and his body just wanted release where he wanted to make this last a little longer!

"Do…do you," she was meeting his hips eagerly with every thrust and his brain was shorting out each time, "do you still hate me?" she would have giggled if not for the coiling, heated pleasure ripping through her, it seemed like hours ago when she'd said that to him. He slowed and seemed contented to grind into her at a leisurely pace.

"No!" she choked, she hated when he teased her like this! "I don't hate you…but you _are still_ a bastard!" aggravated by his smug smirk she crushed their mouths together so she wouldn't have to see it. Their tongues battled furiously as he picked up speed again and seemed content to let go and pound into the girl with abandon, their sounds of pleasure once again filling and echoing in the enclosed space until Azurelle practically screamed his name as she came again, his own cry was swallowed in the night.

0

They stayed embraced in the water for a long time; the soothing liquid cooled them and cleaned away any evidence of their joining. They were content to stay there but the shivering of Azurelle's body made Altaïr move, the cold air had come in with the night and if they lingered any longer they would freeze. The Assassin took her face in his hands and kissed her as slowly and as sweetly as he could, if this was their final kiss he'd make damn sure no other man ever made her forget this one! When they separated she was crying, not the sad unhappy tears he'd seen constantly these past few weeks, these simply fell down her cheeks from glistening grey eyes that would not betray her feelings, to his surprise she wiped her cheeks and gave a tiny giggle before telling him it was nothing and they should leave before they got sick.

000

Sexy time! Poor Malik and Nazeera must be sat at the fire frustrated as hell!

Review or I'll cry! (not really but sometimes it works!)


	16. Chapter 16

Edited 8/9/10

Azurelle slept peacefully the entire night; she wasn't woken by her dreams and for that Altaïr was relieved. She needed rest more than anything and their tension between each other had not helped in the slightest. She hadn't even put up a fight when she was woken in the early dawn, usually she whined and tried to ignore them all, Nazeera noticed how perky her sister seemed to be and couldn't help question it as she cleaned her wound carefully, "so you and Altaïr?"

"over." Azurelle said as she handed the healing balm to the woman, "but we're still friends!" she hummed to herself and continued chewing on her breakfast as she watched Nazeera bandage herself up.

Nazeera was perplexed, her sister had no hint of sadness on her person, she had her appetite back and she was humming. "You seem so happy! What has really happened?" the brunette rolled her eyes, couldn't she just be pleased in general?

"I'll tell you a secret."

0

A scream of delight alerted both Assassins' as they packed the horses, they looked at the two females hugging and squealing delightedly at each other before degenerating into fits of giggles. Neither knew what to make of it and decided that it would be best to keep their distance – women were strange creatures. "I think the desert heat has gotten to their brains." Malik commented and Altaïr nodded his head in agreement, they'd gone mad with the heat. "Anyway, about the next leg of this journey – if we take this route we can cut a few days off our journey." They went back to discussing the pros and cons of one route over the other, their planning interrupted now and again by giggles. "If they are going to do that the entire way, I am leaving them here."

"We could travel faster without them."

"And the whining would decrease drastically."

It was truly tempting. Though they'd come this far, it would be a shame to leave them behind now. With the route chosen and the horses ready they called the others to get ready to leave. Nazeera leaned up and kissed Malik chastely before hauling herself up onto the animal, she'd gotten most of her energy back and didn't faint or sleep as often as she had been, he was both relieved and pleased with her progress. She had decided she wanted to hold the reigns today and he supposed he'd let her, she wanted to learn and it was a long trip, "you seem in high spirits, habiba."

"Hmm, my little sister does that sometimes." The brunette shushed her as Altaïr climbed onto the saddle behind her, he was curious as to what this secret was between the sisters but he would have to be patient – she would tell him eventually. "Let's go! The sooner we get there the sooner I can sleep in a real bed!"

00

There seemed to be a pattern; every time Azurelle made a noise or glanced at the other woman, Nazeera would grin and they'd both have a laugh about whatever it was that had seemed so funny that morning. Altaïr should have been pleased that she was so happy; he should have been pleased that the girl relaxed against him easily and made conversation – something that wasn't easy as their interests varied widely. There were a few hours in which she didn't seem so overjoyed but more content; they'd stopped in the shade to avoid the harsh heat of the day and after only an hour she started up again! What was going on? Not long after that the horse's steady rocking forced her to fall asleep against him, he had hoped for some peace but she stirred even then.

"What is going on with her?" his question was aimed at Nazeera who seemed to be leading her horse towards the edge of their path, Malik moved them back on the right course with slight panic - she wasn't very good at horse riding.

Nazeera cocked her head to the side and regarded the Assassin with a smug grin, "can she not be happy, Altaïr?"

"Of course she can, I would just like to know why."

"Well tough." He wanted to jump off the horse and strangle her and he was willing to go through the Dai to do it too.

00

The next two days passed the same way and it wasn't until after they'd begun travelling after the most severe heat had dissipated that she asked him to stop the horse for a moment, "why?" she sighed at him and he decided to humour her, Nazeera winked at them and urged the horse onward despite Malik's protests – what was happening? "Why are we stopping, Azurelle?"

"Because if we carry on you'll miss it!" she took his hand and spread his palm across her stomach. "So shut up and use your legendary skills to feel this. Altaïr was now convinced she'd gone mad, they waited in silence, the Assassin's patience wearing the longer they were at a stand still, the horse swayed and whinnied.

"What am I fe - !" he pulled his hand away as if he'd been bitten and the acrobat laughed at his reaction, "what was that?" she grabbed his hand again and pressed it back against her body.

"That is our baby, very much alive and…" another tiny flutter trembled across Altaïr's palm.

Altaïr looked at her, he felt as if she'd just hit him and he couldn't hide the shock or surprise on his face, "Kicking?"

"It feels more like a trapped butterfly trying to get out." She smiled brightly at him, "I really thought he was gone, I couldn't feel him for so long and then I felt this strange fluttering…I finally figured it out after a persistent little episode."

"Are you two going to poke the child all day or are we going to make the village by nightfall?" Altaïr commanded the horse forward and it trotted quickly to catch up. He wondered how long Malik had known, probably the first day that Nazeera had been told. "Wipe the grin off your face, novice, you look like the fool you are."

"Not a chance." Altaïr tightened his hold on the reigns in one hand and kept his hand planted firmly on her belly, "how long will he move?"

"Usually the rocking of the horse settles the movement and it won't start again until I try to sleep or relax…he's obnoxious like that." Azurelle smirked, "like his father."

00

Masyaf was a welcome sight to the weary travellers, the best thing for Azurelle was the masked Assassin waiting at the gate, "Nakim!" he was there to help her down from the horse and he stared down at her in confusion, "I'm still pregnant."

"I thought you were just fat, but that makes more sense!" she punched his arm grumpily, how dare he call her fat! "You know I do not mean it! You're still the cutest thing I've ever seen – unless you see my wife, then you're some chick Altaïr picked up."

Azurelle flashed a sly smile in his direction, "I bet your wife would love to hear about that woman in Jerusalem…"

"Now, now, don't be cruel; she would have my balls for certain." A hand clapped down on his shoulder and a man Azurelle had never seen before gave Nakim a crooked smile, "ah, Abbas, you would be wise never to tell anyone what you just overheard."

"How much is it worth to you, brother?" the man's dark eyes gave the brunette the once over and then moved to look at the other woman with Malik, "you took so long to get here because of that gobby woman, Malik?" Nazeera rolled her eyes at the man and continued to stretch her legs.

"Abbas," Malik greeted the moody Assassin, "it has taken me six years to get her to agree to marry me, I was going to get her here if it killed me!" they were a little earlier than expected but a small entourage had come to greet them, the fortress walls had been buzzing with what Altaïr and Malik had planned for the Brotherhood and they were eager to hear from the leaders.

"She will make you miserable, Malik," Abbas dodged the shoe thrown at him by the woman, "she will also throw a lot of things and miss…who is this?" Azurelle gave him a small wave, if this was the same Abbas that Altaïr disliked she had a feeling this would not go down well.

"Nazeera's sister, Azurelle, she was last here…seven years ago, she was the one who accidentally kicked you in the face during a performance." Abbas frowned at the memory, she'd broken his nose. His eyes lingered on her stomach; she wouldn't be doing any acrobatics for a while at least.

"I'm sorry about your face." Azurelle gave him a sincere smile before adding, "You can hardly tell it was broken at all!"

"Shame he is still so ugly though." Altaïr's arms wrapped around her round waist and he glared daggers at Abbas, they'd never gotten on and they never would. The two regarded each other coldly and the girl grew quite uncomfortable with their alpha male display, a nudge against Altaïr's hand made him stand down – now wasn't the time to put Abbas in his place. He ignored the man in place of talking to the girl, "it will take a little while to get a room prepared for you, Nakim has suggested you and Nazeera stay at his house until it is ready…maybe you could speak to his wife about her pregnancies?"

She nodded, over the last three weeks the fluttering had turned into more noticeable kicks; she felt that a little walk would calm the baby before he really started, "it would be nice to have someone with personal experience to talk to. My back aches from all the riding too." She followed after her sister, it was obvious they would only be in the way as Malik and Altaïr had to organise a few things at the fortress before they even thought about _moving_ _them_ in.

0

Nakim's wife was a lovely woman, she was very welcoming and filled them up on tea and any food she felt she could force down their throats, she had a son who had moved into the fortress, a younger daughter who had just gotten married and moved out and the only ones left at home were her ten year old twins, the little girls followed their mother around everywhere! It was obvious the woman wasn't used to so few people living in her home as she baked so much food she was packing some for the sisters to take away with them! "So how old are you…was it Azurelle? What an odd name…oh well! Are you as young as you look I wonder?"

"I'm eighteen."

"Really? Well I suppose that's not so young to be having a child! I was twenty when I had my first; I thought I was going to die! he seemed so big when he was born that I thought I would never get him out!" she put more food down on the table, "you should probably eat more, you're a very tiny girl and that bump looks huge for someone your size – I will be very surprised if you don't tear while giving birth!" she continued to go on about how _agonisingly painful_ and messy childbirth was for what seemed like forever. Nazeera watched her sister blanch as the older woman continued her horror stories; perhaps this was not such a wise idea. It couldn't be as terrible as it sounded, this woman had four children!

"…surely your experiences weren't so bad." The older sister chimed in, hopefully this would put Azurelle's mind at ease.

"Oh, I was made to have babies, I have child bearing hips and I'm not as small as some women. I had no problems at all – some of us are just made to have babies!"

Azurelle spoke up then, "do you think _I'm_ made to have babies?" the woman regarded the girl for less than a second and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Not at all."

00

"After talking to that woman – _I am never having children_!" Nazeera exclaimed as she collapsed onto the chair in the study, "if you thought Azurelle was worried before; she's deathly afraid now!"

Malik looked up from the book he was writing in and gave Altaïr a, 'I told you so,' look. Nakim's wife wasn't known for her tactfulness, she was blunt and honest and she would feed you until you burst. For five solid hours the women had learned every item of interest going on in Masyaf, who was doing who, how to make the perfect bread and of course the most appalling pregnancy stories known to man. "Where is she now?" Altaïr asked, he was in the middle of wrestling with an eagle; the bird had killed one of the carrier pigeons and was refusing to let the Assassin get the message from the dead bird's foot. The eagle actually belonged to the Dai, he had done everything he could to train the bird of prey not to kill the pigeons but the creature persisted to disobey him – he'd named it Altaïr. "Malik! Can you not do something with this thing?"

"Leave him alone, he will drop the message when he has eaten the bird – you will have your message then." He knew better than to take food from the talons of a full grown eagle, besides, it wasn't a message for him. Altaïr could wait.

"She's in her room, I think she said she was going to take a nap, the travel and the pure trauma of that old bat has exhausted her! She wanted to look around the fortress but I convinced her to wait." She watched with great interest as the huge bird screeched at the Assassin and spread its wings in a warning; this bird had captured its meal and he would fight the Assassin to the death for it. "To be honest, I am also tired…I'd like to bandage the hole in my body and pass out for a few days."

Malik paused in his writing again and looked at his soon to be wife, "you do not know where I sleep do you?"

"No, Malik, I have never been in this place before…" he nodded dumbly, that's why she'd been hanging around him for the past hour, "You're a novice, Malik."

00

She'd managed to sleep for a few hours but the combination of strange noises and a strange place was keeping her awake now. The room she had been given was large, the arched window gave her a beautiful view of the water and the mountains beyond, she was placed in the private rooms where it was customary fro the grand master to stay, it meant she didn't have to hear what hundreds of Assassins got up to in their spare time. She knew that Malik's room was at the end of the hall and that Altaïr's was opposite her own; what she didn't know was how long she would be living here. Altaïr wanted her to go through the pregnancy at the fortress where she would be safe and there were doctors and female healers should she need them, but after the baby was born would she be expected to stay? Would her baby be trained as an Assassin? It seemed likely…that's if she even got through giving birth.

Was she really too small? Was the baby too big? Would she tear or pass out? Would her baby be healthy? There were so many questions floating in her head, so many of them too frightening to even consider! There was a constant movement in her belly; she wasn't sure if it was the baby moving or her stomach turning in her anxiety. Throwing the covers back, Azurelle crept through the darkness and slid out of her door, the stone beneath her feet was cold as she padded over to the door in front. She could have gone to Malik's room to bother Nazeera with her problems but she didn't have the heart – or courage – to wake them. There was a yellow glow coming from the bottom of Altaïr's door, he must still be awake. The acrobat knocked on the hard wood and waited in the cold hallway for an answer…maybe he was asleep? She was about to try again when she heard a bolt slide across on the other side, he had a lock on his door? She wanted one!

The door cracked open and his half naked body appeared, "what is wrong?"

"I can't sleep…your son is the size of a baby camel and he keeps kicking me." He moved aside to let her in and told her to get into the bed. Grateful for the chance to warm her now cold feet, Azurelle tucked herself under the blankets and watched as Altaïr blew out the candle on his desk, "did I disturb you?"

"no, I was trying to piece together a message Malik's eagle decided to destroy…I am not sure how to respond and I am far too tired to write back tonight." He got into the large bed beside her and pulled the girl to him so her back rested against his chest, he rubbed her stomach lightly and muttered a command for the baby to stop kicking its mother while she tried to sleep – another movement was his response and he had to sigh, his baby _was_ obnoxious. He let his mind drift and forgot about the letter on his desk;

The one signed,

Maria.

000

Some of you are probably thinking, WTF just happened? Did I miss a few chapters – did I blink? No, this is me super fast forwarding because really, what are they supposed to do for three weeks on horseback? Haha! Malik is a novice …seriously, who puts eagles and pigeons near each other?


	17. Chapter 17

Edited 8/9/10

She frowned at her shoulder; her dark caramel skin was black, blue, yellow and purple, "should this still hurt?" Nazeera asked as Malik got dressed, he examined the healing scar below her right collarbone, the bruising around the wound looked nasty but the skin was healing well.

"All trace of infection is gone, maybe you should move that shoulder more to relieve the stiffness." He kissed the mark gently, "how is your head?" since she'd lost so much blood, the woman seemed to have a constant headache, it had gotten better along with her fatigue and dizziness but it still caused him concern to think that she was suffering.

"Better, stop worrying so much! I do not want a husband with grey hair so soon!" he smiled at that; she seemed so content to marry him at last. She had made plans already and was making more all the time, "ooh! I was thinking we should send a message to the Troupe, it would be nice to have them here!" she pinned his left sleeve up and kissed his shoulder as he continued to fasten his clothing, "there's no way I'm going to believe that Gyani said this was fine! Especially after I paid off Azurelle's debt and left him out of pocket."

"I wish you had told me years ago that you were working to pay off your living expenses." If he'd known that was why she wouldn't be with him he would have done something sooner, she wouldn't have been on that stage in the line of fire and her acrobatic family would not have been slaughtered in a dirty little inn, "they will be on a boat in the middle of the ocean right now and by the time the message gets to them we will be man and slave woman." He hated lying to her but he didn't want her to find out about the Troupe's demise.

"Slave woman? I don't think so! I expect to be kept in fine clothing, I want someone else doing any housework, flowers everyday would be nice too…and maybe one of those young Assassins I saw earlier!" squealing as she was pinned down on the bed, Nazeera laughed madly when Malik nuzzled her neck making sure the hair on his chin tickled her.

"Which Assassin did you want? Maybe while you are listing wants you will add a male harem to the list!"

"No, why have boys when a man does the job better?" her fingers undid the fastenings he'd only just done a second ago and she leaned up to kiss him. A knock interrupted them and the door opened abruptly to reveal Altaïr looking less than pleased, "I want a lock on that door too." She muttered as Malik sat up and released his hold on her.

"Azurelle is ill." Was all the Assassin said to make Nazeera sit up as well and ask what was wrong, "I do not know, she will not let me near while she is dispelling her breakfast."

"There's no way she's still getting morning sick!" the woman pushed past the Assassin dressed in her nightdress still and went to find the brunette. What was going wrong now? Malik watched her go with a hint of disappointment staining his features, he finished dressing himself and stood to start the day – there was a lot to do in order to organize the Brotherhood. He watched Altaïr shift uncomfortable on the balls of his feet, he looked nervous, which Malik did not blame the poor man; one minute he was a father, then he wasn't and then she was sick again…

"You look tired."

"I _am_ tired. She was so tense and jittery last night that she could not sleep for more than an hour at a time; every time she woke up the child moved and she was unable to rest. She is anxious and unwilling to let me help – as usual – this is Nakim's fault." Altaïr was not a heavy sleeper, he knew when Azurelle was awake, every time she moved he was alert to her and he'd tried his best to soothe her just so she could rest. He'd seen it in her eyes when she'd come to his door last night, she was frightened. "If his wife had not told her all those stories!"

Malik heaved a sigh, how was he supposed to lead with such a grumpy novice at his side; he should have stayed in Jerusalem and told Altaïr to be a man and lead on his own! "there are women in the garden that have had children, make Azurelle spend some time out there with them, surely that will ease her." He watched the hazel eyed man brood on his words for a moment, at least he was thinking it over, "come, we have work to do and Nazeera will manage just fine with her – if we do not go now, I know a certain bird that will no doubt be holding more messages for you – pigeon possibly still attached."

"You let that mangy bird do it on purpose!"

"Of course I do…I have nothing better to do with my time!" the truth was that the eagle was likely to remove the Dai's fingers before he let the man control it, "on that note – excuse the pun – did you manage to read yesterdays mail?"

Altaïr licked his lips as they suddenly felt dry, "I did…" he hadn't replied yet, he'd been busy with his bed partner, "it is a message from Maria…she is coming here."

0

Strangely, having her older sister hold her hair back while she heaved up the contents of her stomach was less embarrassing than having Altaïr do it. "And spit." Came her sister's sing song voice, it made her smile for a split second before another wave of bile clawed its way up her throat, "you were really scared by what she said, weren't you? Azurelle, you will be fine – giving birth will hurt but it won't kill you, I'll be there and some old biddie who has delivered hundreds of babies will be there too! You will feel foolish for ever having worried so much!" she patted the girl's back and handed her the cup of water to clear the taste out, "if you weren't meant to have children then you wouldn't be pregnant."

Azurelle leaned against the woman as she closed her eyes and tried not to be sick again. Nazeera was right, she shouldn't worry so much…but then Nazeera had never been pregnant before and had no idea what she was saying! "I am being a fool…but you know me; I'm used to doing things my way!" she stood with help and padded to her own room to find some clean clothing. "And my way is usually whining until you fix the problem."

"The only problem I can fix now is getting you to wash and get out of that clothing, now…before I am sick." There wasn't a lot she could do for Azurelle other than support her and tell her she would be fine. "come on, you've waited your entire life to get a glimpse of this fortress and you're wasting it by standing around covered in your own vomit…which is a very fetching colour on you." A pillow hit her square in the face – where did she get that habit of throwing things at people?

00

If something could be slammed down or closed loudly, or huffed at or cause some sort of noise to show the Dai's displeasure – then he was damn well going to use it! Even the eagle glared daggers at his name sake! Malik was extremely displeased with the news that Maria, excuse-me-while-I-make-a-nuisance-of-myself, Thorpe was coming to Masyaf. He would happily close the gates on her but Altaïr had…idiot! "You _invited her_ to come back when ever she pleased? Did she not _abandon _you the moment you arrived back in the country? If I recall, you were very upset!" so what if she was no longer allied with the Templers! She was arrogant and stubborn and – it would be like having a female Altaïr around! But worse!

"Three years, Malik." Altaïr said from the desk, he had hoped that by doing some actual work, Malik would leave him be. "It is a long time to be with someone to simply shut away my feelings and ignore her! I sent numerous messages out to try and find her! Every where I travelled I searched for Maria!"

"What about Azurelle! You were not thinking about Maria when you were with her!"

"I dealt with temptation by yielding to it!" and Azurelle was a temptation he yielded to every time! It had been six months after Maria had left him and the brunette had been so tempting! She flirted with him relentlessly and then shied away when he took the bait; she was sweet smiles and shy glances, pouty plump lips and eyes that lit up in childish curiosity at anything new! She had patched up the gaping hole that Maria had left – he wouldn't believe any man who said he could resist that!

"So what? Maria is going to waltz in here and you will put Azurelle on the shelf to gather dust – she is having your baby, Altaïr!"

"I know this, Malik!" they glared at each other; it hadn't taken long for them to start fighting again. Malik didn't like Maria, he didn't care that she was not the enemy; she would forever be in his eyes, 'Robert's girl'. She was second to the man who took his arm and his brother – Altaïr had been the cause of his losses but Robert De Sable had been the physical act. She had caused Altaïr endless grief in Cyprus and hurt the Assassin emotionally as well! Altaïr had fallen in love with that stupid woman and she rejected him, she left him in Acre and didn't come back! Surely after his loss of Adah, the man deserved someone to nag him and coddle him when no one was looking!

They were so occupied with the other that both failed to notice a woman's intrusion into the room until she spoke, "He raises a good point." Altaïr briefly wondered if there was a haystack outside the study window for him to escape and then he decided that he really didn't care – the fall would kill him quickly, Nazeera would make him suffer. He rested his head on the parchment he'd been writing on, he was exhausted from lack of sleep and fighting with Malik. "Who is Maria?"

0

The garden was filled with pretty women, they all dressed in colourful clothing and they were all so delicate and graceful and Nazeera would fit right in here! She, on the other hand, felt like an elephant. She'd always been heavy footed, if she could make noise then she would! Her belly was much bigger now and among all these stick insects she felt uneasy, especially with them looking at her and whispering in each others ears; she managed to lip read one girl who gave her a decidedly dirty look, 'Altaïr's pregnant girlfriend,'. She wasn't Altaïr's and obviously she was pregnant, this wasn't the shape of a non pregnant female! She'd paused in the middle of the garden and felt like running away, she thought walking would make her feel better…instead she felt like a horrible freaks how for these perfect women to point and gawk at.

Something touched her leg and she gasped, looking down to see what it was she was greeted by an adorable baby boy who gave her an enthusiastic smile. "Where did you come from? Where's your mother?" he stared innocently up at her, of course he wasn't going to answer her! She knelt down beside him and stroked the soft, dark hair on his head, he reached for her dress and clutched the blue material; his huge hazel eyes never left her. He was so cute! If no one claimed him soon, she would steal him. A quick glance up had her meeting another woman's eyes; this was the baby's mother, the way she watched the child proved it. Picking the baby up carefully and resting him on her hip, Azurelle made her way over to the shaded gazebo, "I found this, if you don't want him I'll gladly take him back with me." The woman laughed and took her son from the girl.

"I think I will keep him – he crawls so far away and expects me to get up and collect him, such an obnoxious boy." Azurelle laughed with her and sat when the older woman offered her a seat, "how far along are you?"

"About five months…I know, he's huge!" she noted how the dark haired woman's eyebrows rose in surprise, just like everyone else who asked her, "how old is your baby?"

"Hannan is seven months now," he fussed on her lap and frowned at his mother when she tried to get him to settle, "are you looking forward to motherhood…" she trailed off realising she didn't know the young woman's name.

The brunette smiled fondly at the child's grumpy face, if she squinted and turned her head he looked like a certain person she knew, "Azurelle…I know, it's a strange name!"

The other laughed, "You seem to know a lot! Do you know where the kitchens are?"

"No idea, I only arrived here yesterday and so far I've seen my room, a few hallways and my breakfast." She winced; this woman didn't need to know that! "Are you new here too?" they fell into idle chatter; Azurelle soon forgot about the other people in the garden, at least she seemed to have found one friend here. She talked about being an acrobat with the Troupe, pleasantly surprised when the other had heard of them, she talked of how she thought she'd lost her baby and how she just _knew_ it was a boy and if he was a she then she better like blue! At some point Hannan had whined and reached for Azurelle and he'd ended up on her lap, where he had to put up sharing with the bump. "You know, you're much prettier without these." The woman pressed her fingers to the skin between the acrobat's eyes and smoothed the worried wrinkles rested there, "What's the matter?"

"Um…I'm just nervous…with what's going to happen when…" she stammered and tripped on her words and the other's kind eyes encouraged her to continue, "I heard some pretty horrific stories about actually having a baby…even though everyone tells me not to be scared I still am!"

"People like to make their tales sound more dramatic than they actually are…Hannan was a very easy birth, I'm grateful as he's my first and I was pretty scared as well! Put me against a hundred men and I'll fight them without worry, but when this little one decided he was coming out…" she took a deep breath, "I was terrified!" Azurelle frowned again, this woman seemed so confident and outgoing and she was terrified? "I had a wonderful woman who helped me through it. He was not one to be kept waiting and it was a very short labour, he was born and he wanted attention! Yes, it hurt but somehow my body knew what to do…it's alright to be scared but think how the baby feels. Poor thing being forced into a world outside the womb, the sooner he's out the sooner his mother can hold him and he can feel safe again."

"So I'll be fine…"

"I think you will be a natural, Hannan has taken to you right away and believe me when I say he's fussy." The baby seemed to sense he was being spoken about and whined at the women, this wasn't his idea of fun and there was a bump exactly where he wanted to sit! "You hold him and carry him like you already have children, I th – " Hannan's wail cut his mother off – this bump just moved!

Azurelle handed the crying boy back to his mother and she rocked him in an attempt to calm the baby, "I'm sorry, I think he just got kicked – obviously, my baby doesn't like intruders." The other woman laughed, her little boy was being bullied by an unborn child, "oh, shush, I barely felt that and it shouldn't have hurt you at all!" they took a little while to mollify him into sniffling into the woman's shoulder quietly, he seemed to glare at Azurelle's belly and Azurelle had to laugh – that was the exact look Altaïr would get when he was unhappy!

"Told you, he's obnoxious – just like his father!" out of the corner of her eye the woman smirked at the figure approaching them swiftly, "speaking of your father, Hannan…"

Azurelle looked up at the newcomer, "Altaïr! This is my new friend – " she cut herself off as the Assassin turned as white as his robes and stared at the woman with wide eyes. She was about to ask if he was ill but a single word fell from his mouth in the most surprised tone,

"Maria!"

000

*grin*


	18. Chapter 18

Edited 8/9/10

"Hello, Altaïr."

Azurelle blinked in her own surprise, "Oh, you know each other?" Maria smiled at her and nodded as Altaïr seemed to have been turned to stone, "Altaïr are you alright? You're so pale!" she stood up and went to his side, was he sick? Or maybe she'd kept him up all night and this was exhaustion – he and Malik had done all the work during the journey to Masyaf and not taken a rest. He didn't reply to her, instead he looked at the baby in Maria's arms looking back at him with matching coloured eyes. The child had Maria's dark hair but most of his features resembled his own! Altaïr felt a small hand on his bicep and stared down at Azurelle, she looked worried, "I knew I'd bother you last night! I'm sorry, Altaïr?"

"I am fine, it is nothing," he said after clearing his throat, he gave her the tiniest smile to try and reassure her, "Nazeera is waiting inside for you, you should go to her and eat lunch." Azurelle nodded slowly, was he truly alright? He seemed to have snapped out of his spell and he seemed normal again, "truly, I am fine."

"okay…I have a few ideas for the wedding to throw at her and suddenly I'm starving!" his smile brightened in genuine pleasure, he was relieved she seemed to have her appetite back and the fearful hint in her eyes was gone, she even had a slight bounce to her step. Perhaps Maria had something to do with it as she was the only soul that seemed to have spoken to the brunette. He looked at the woman and sat in the vacant space beside her.

"How long have you been here?"

"A day or two, they let me in without much fuss…it helps when the Grand Master's baby is in your arms." She watched him swallow nervously as he regarded the boy with wary eyes, it was as if he thought the baby would turn into some sort of monster and attack him, "I named him Hannan – I had toyed with Thomas but he didn't much like the name. He's seven months old and began crawling not too long ago…he has a tendency to crawl away and then sit around waiting for someone to pick him up and return him to me." She leant forward and placed the child on the Assassin's lap, "this is _your_ son." Hannan gazed upwards at the hooded man, his podgy little hands reaching for the material until the sun glinted off the silver triangle that held the straps to the dagger on Altaïr's back, he decided to play with that instead.

His hand was massive on the child's head as he hesitantly stroked the soft hair, "w-why did you…you should have told me!" at his raised voice, Hannan paused in his playing and whined, why was this strange man being so loud?

Maria sighed, "You said you didn't want a child, so when I discovered I was pregnant I kept it to myself and went to stay with a good friend of mine. Why are you so angry? He's here now."

"I would have supported you! I would have never of turned away from you, Maria!" Altaïr lowered his voice when there was a pause on the tugging of the strap across his chest, looking down he saw the sad look on his son's face and exhaled roughly. "I would have been there for him." He had missed everything of this child's life, smiles, tears, c_rawling_! This boy didn't even know who he was!

"You're upset." Maria was surprised, she didn't think Altaïr would be happy to suddenly have a son thrust upon him and here he was genuinely saddened not to have been apart of the boy's life. "Listen to me. When I left you in Acre I know I hurt you! But we fight so often that I wanted some time away and I know these lands enough to get by on my own…I missed you though – I did get your messages." She'd kept every desperate, heartfelt note he'd littered in every corner of the holy land in hopes of finding her. "When I found out I was pregnant I panicked! I know you didn't want a baby – we'd had that conversation before! We were always careful! Oh, god! Altaïr!" her eyes filled with fear when her baby decided that it would be fun to play with the hidden blade on the Assassin's wrist.

Altaïr pulled tiny fingers from the mechanism, "I should like you to have all ten fingers." Without ado Hannan let out a wail at not being allowed to do as he pleased, "Maria, he is crying."

"Really? I thought he was laughing." She smirked at his bewildered look, "_You_ made him cry. _You _soothe him!" Maria was content to watch him struggle with the baby, at first he picked him up and held him up in front of his face. Hannan kicked and squirmed in his father's hold and seemed to wail louder.

"What do I do?"

"Well, stop holding him like he's covered in something unpleasant! He's like any other person…just smaller with less bladder control." Altaïr rolled his eyes at her so called help; the baby thrust out his arms out and babbled something that sounded suspiciously like, 'mama'. He hugged Hannan to his chest and rubbed his back, it worked when he had to console Maria or Azurelle and apparently it worked on him too. "See, it wasn't so hard."

"Maria, I would have been more than happy to have experienced this with you…"

"Are you getting soft, Assassin?" Maria's eyes danced with laughter as he glared at her, why did she insist on picking on him when he revealed his feelings? She was infuriating! "Maybe spending time with pregnant women has changed your view on children…" she slid closer to him, running her fingers along her baby's cheek, "she's a sweet girl, bloody terrified of her situation but so willing to deal with it."

"Azurelle has two ways of dealing with things: her way and crying in a corner. Usually she cries and throws tantrums before realising she must be responsible – she usually makes the right decisions in the end." He had missed Maria, he could smell her perfume at this distance, her hair had grown and her eyes looked tired – a side effect of being a single mother – but she seemed happy. "What did you two talk about?"

"I cleared a few things up for her, like how giving birth wasn't as bad as she'd been told – she'll be a natural! I can see it!" Maria leant closer to him, she had missed him the entire time, if she had known he would have been so willing to be a father she'd have found him the moment she'd found out. It had been foolish to leave him!

"thank you, Maria…she has not had an easy time, she had thought she had miscarried, she has no way of supporting herself and she is still so young – so protected that she knows so little of real life outside of her family."

"Has Malik not been helping?"

"Malik?"

Maria frowned at his confused expression, "I heard Malik was getting married – which is a miracle in itself – and she's pregnant, she travelled here from Jerusalem…she's planning for a wedding." It all pointed to an obvious answer, "he's too old for her but if that's what they want…unless he's marrying her because he got her pregnant!"

Altaïr sat up from the woman, "she is not marrying Malik, her sister is."

"So where's the father?" Maria stared at him, disappointed she had nothing to mock the Dai with but still curious, surely the father of Azurelle's child hadn't run! Altaïr wouldn't look at her, he fussed with the baby intent on ignoring her question and her gaze, she wasn't stupid, he knew if she looked into his eyes she'd see the guilt. "Come on, tell me! You travelled for a month with her didn't you? Surely you know!" he didn't know how he was going to tell her or Azurelle, Maria would not forgive him and the other girl…how would she take the news her new best friend was also a mother of his child? "My god…" Maria muttered as she remembered something that had not seemed important. Altaïr had not slept well, Azurelle had not slept well and the girl had said, 'I knew I'd bother you last night' "Altaïr, look at me."

"Maria, surely you have better things to do than collect idle gossip, Azurelle does not ne – "

"Look. At. Me!" he did as she commanded and he saw her eyes widen. She saw the guilt, the regret and more truth in his hazel eyes than if he'd opened his mouth, "you won't have a child with me but you'll impregnate the first little – "

"Do not curse her, Maria! She is not to blame for this."

"Sorry, I mustn't insult the mother of your child! I hope you enjoy the rest of your life with her!" Maria stood up and held out her arms for her son, "give him to me."

"Maria…"

"Give me my son, Altaïr!" she barked angrily, he could see her trembling with her anger and was reluctant to give up Hannan, who had fallen asleep against his shoulder. "You have another on the way – you won't miss him." Her words stung the Assassin and his hold tightened on the boy.

"_You_ left me! It was months before I touched anyone else – _months_!" Hannan stirred in his arms, "you left me and I looked for you, Maria! _I looked_! It was a simple arrangement that resulted in her accidentally getting pregnant."

"You _accidentally fucked_ her too?" she wasn't going to listen to this any longer, "give me my baby, now!" by now he was wailing at the noise, a few of the others in the garden looked their way in curiosity. Altaïr handed her his son before he screamed his little throat raw, he watched her turn without another word and begin walking away; he stood and quickly followed, he wasn't going to let her vanish with Hannan!

00

He had followed her to the guest area of the fortress; this was usually where allies could stay if they needed protection for their relationship to the Assassins. She had reached a dead end and now stood with her back to him, she busied herself by bouncing her son in her arms and murmuring for him to calm. Altaïr stood at the doorway, his breath coming quickly as he allowed her to work her charm on the little one, they had continued to argue through the halls the entire way and now that she was trapped he could let his panic subside.

Hannan cried himself to exhaustion and was laid down on a second bed in the room, Maria had piled pillows and blankets in the centre so he would not roll out and injure himself, "I know you do not like to be woken…it wasn't intentional so shush." He moaned and whined quietly, his little face red and angry at the disturbance they had caused to his slumber.

"Maria."

"Go away!" she hissed unhappily, "I have nothing to say to you!"

"You never change! You are always going to be impossible and defiant…I have trusted you with everything that I am, you know things I would tell no one else…if you asked I would lay down my weapons – why must you play this game!" had he really done something so terrible? Se had left him, she had told him she no longer wished to be with him and he had _begged_ her to stay! He had done everything in his power to return the stubborn English woman to his side and failed. Running into Azurelle had stopped an unbearable ache in his chest, she unintentionally brought him joy and happiness in what had seemed like such a bleak time – the little brunette had let him take and take from her and he would not abandon her when she now needed him…not even for Maria. "I missed you."

She turned to face him, her anger evident even as tears slipped down her cheeks, "it doesn't seem so." He reached for her and she slapped him across his left cheek, "don't you dare! You can't come to me from her arms."

Rubbing his cheek at the smarting sting, Altaïr glared hard at her. She wasn't like Azurelle, she wouldn't calm down and see sense and he'd forgotten how volatile the Ex Templer was, if he let her she would easily run him through. She had also forgotten not to let her guard down in front of the Assassin – he moved like lightning and pulled her against his chest, her arms were trapped between them and she could only struggle against his hold, "let me go!" she shrieked, he covered her mouth with his own, he had only meant to quiet her before she woke the sleeping baby close by but he could only melt into her as she didn't fight against his lips.

He pulled away with a struggle, "you will wake him." She glanced at the little one before returning a displeased look to the Assassin, "Now listen to me! Azurelle knows nothing of you, I was weak, I was lonely and hurting…she was…it was never serious and we both knew that! This pregnancy was not planned and it surprised us both!"

"There are herbs and other ways to ensure that there is no conception – did you not think?"

"I was a fool and she was inexperienced, she did not know…it is over now, it has been for weeks but I will not leave her alone"

Maria scoffed, wonderful! Not only had he seduced a young, naïve girl but he had chosen a virgin who had no idea what she was letting him get her into! "You're a selfish bastard, Altaïr! You lead a vulnerable, barely out of her childhood, girl into a loveless affair because you are upset?"

"Forgive me…do not leave me again – do not take my son from me." He kissed her again and forced his tongue past her lips, sighing in relief as she reciprocated eagerly, Altaïr let his arms loosen, his hold shifting to a firm embrace, his hand tangled into her hair deepening the kiss – he would drown in her if she would allow it. "Forgive me." His lips caressed her throat gently as she became lucid in his arms and he revelled in her gasp – except her gasp sounded higher, almost sweeter like…Azurelle's. He noticed Maria was stock still against him and he pulled back from the woman and looked over his shoulder.

"I I…I'm sorry! I was going to…I mean- Maria I was…I'm sorry!" Azurelle's mouth opened and shut silently as she stammered and blushed. She was frozen on the spot and it wasn't until a noise was made by Hannan that she jumped, her eyes widened even further as she remembered how much the baby resembled Altaïr, that and the vision of them in each others arms made her realise that the child _was_ Altaïr's, her hands rested on her stomach unconsciously as she looked down at the floor, "I was going to ask you something, Maria…but I'll come back later – I'm sorry I barged in!" she apologised quickly and left the room in daze.

000

Thank you for the reviews…I was most entertained! I am not evil…just a fanfic writer. MWAH!


	19. Chapter 19

8/9/10

How had things gone so wrong? Altaïr was in the garden at the back of the fortress, he'd stopped at the spot he'd last seen Azurelle with Maria – how ironic they got on so well with each other. He had been thrown out – forcibly – from Maria's room, she had said she was still angry at him but that she had no plans to leave Masyaf at the present moment; it was the English woman who had told him to go and look for Azurelle. What was he supposed to say? Sorry you caught us in the middle of feeling each other up? It shouldn't even matter, they were not in a relationship, he didn't have to feel guilty or explain himself! …he _did_ feel guilty though and he couldn't figure out why. He had searched everywhere he knew she had access to, the only way she would reach restricted areas was by climbing the walls and he knew she wasn't capable of that currently. He'd checked the study, Nazeera had been sulking in a chair and Malik had been ignoring her – the woman was upset that Malik had not told her about Maria sooner and that he'd yelled at her for hitting the roof and instigated what could have been a very dangerous argument with Altaïr. That was another thing the Assassin had on his conscience.

He didn't know where else to look, she hadn't left the fortress, he'd been assured of that by the guards at the gate and they had been told to keep an eye out for her. It had gotten out quickly among the Brotherhood of whose child she carried and so far everyone who'd come across her had no dislike for the brunette, the young novices seemed to be quite fond of her because they'd heard of her skills along roof tops and her acrobatic displays – they wanted pointers, if she had been able they probably would have demanded she show them. Perhaps after the baby was born he could let her become a sort of instructor for basic free running, it would be easier to teach the children if their instructor didn't have to deal with arrogant teenagers and moody men all day before taking it out on them. It could work…still he had to find her first! Altaïr's feet led him to his own room, maybe she'd come here? Opening the door, he was disappointed to not find her, a door opened behind him and he spun his heel, "Azurelle!"

"Yes? Why do look surprised, this is my current room…" she gave him an amused look, he looked almost relieved to see her, "Are you alright?" the Assassin looked tired, more tired than he had earlier, "come on!" the brunette pushed him into his room and toward his bed and made him sit down on it. Now he looked utterly shocked under his hood. Altaïr blinked stupidly as she climbed up behind him, pulled his hood down and began rubbing his temples, "if you took a break every now and then you wouldn't get such an aching head!"

"Azurelle…" his body relaxed out of the tense way he'd been unknowingly keeping as he'd searched for her, she knew how to manipulate his body with the simplest of touches. "About Maria…I need to apologise." She nearly scoffed at that, he really was an idiot sometimes.

"She broke your heart didn't she? I guessed you were hurting over something when I first met you…you might be a big, mean Assassin but your eyes always give you away." Azurelle continued massaging, never once pausing as she spoke, it wouldn't do to have him more irritable than usual and this had always worked in the past – even times when the Assassins didn't appear to realise he had a throbbing headache. "Altaïr, what are you apologising for exactly, last time I checked we weren't together in any shape or form…besides, she's nice and she obviously still loves you."

"Stop it!" Altaïr turned and pulled her onto his lap, she looked at him and he could swear she had a pout under her confused expression, Altaïr searched her face, her grey eyes and seemed annoyed at what he found, "are you not upset at all? A woman you do not know arrives out of the blue with my son – who I have only just found out existed – and you are not angry?" he had expected tears and yelling, he had thought she would at least seem cold to him.

She shook her head, "I was surprised and I thought, 'oh crap, he has a son what am I going to do?'"

"I do not love him any less!" Azurelle smiled as his hand found its way onto her belly, "I would not abandon either of you, even if I had a thousand children!" she laughed at that, he was so vehement about the subject and the pure determination pouring out of him was almost enough to make her want to kiss the stupid man.

"A thousand? Oh, Altaïr you're such a man!" the brunette forced her giggles and amusement to subside; he looked particularly pissed at being teased by her, "I'm sorry, I know you don't make promises lightly. Listen, I know we were never serious about each other and things didn't exactly go to plan; I didn't get to India and I look like I'm having a camel, I get kicked everyday by a child I nearly lost, I was 'kidnapped' by a Templer, I punched a doctor in the face and my entire life has been turned upside down, not to mention being scared out of my wits by a lady giving me 'helpful' advice about being useless for breeding and who knows what else going to happen…I don't think I regret anything though." He looked stunned by her but the acrobat ignored the incredulous look and continued, "in fact, no, I regret nothing! So stop maundering around up here like a bad smell and go find Maria and tell her you love her!"

"I do not – "

"You do! So stop being a novice before you regret it!" she was pointing to the door with a stern expression, it looked ridiculous when combined with her innocent eyes and the fact that she was haphazardly laid out across his lap.

Azurelle faltered when his fingertips brushed over her cheek and he leaned in to kiss her lips gently before pulling away and resting his forehead against hers, "I adore you," he muttered with a hint of amusement in his voice, "When did you become so wise? Or maybe I just did not notice while I was busy taking everything you had…"

"Shut up and go already, she doesn't seem the type to listen unless you tie her up and gag her…better make a start." She felt him kiss her head and he set her down on the bed before leaving to find the other woman. "Moron." She rubbed her eyes in frustration, why did they sting so much? "I am _not_ going to cry!"

00

Hannan sat in the middle of an abandoned hallway, where was his mother? He'd been sat here for at least a minute and she hadn't come to collect him even though he'd crawled away not too long ago. He knew she was angry by the way she'd been pacing around the room and making more noise than usual as she moved things around, maybe she hadn't noticed him stop playing? He was getting hungry too…

00

The Ex Templer tapped her foot impatiently; she'd spent a good amount of time fuming in her room after kicking the Assassin out, how could he! Wasn't she 'worthy' enough to bear his child? Why had he chosen some doll like little girl over her? Was it revenge because she had left him? Well, as soon as he returned to finish whatever it was he now did all day at the desk of his previous master, she was going to tell him _exactly_ how upset she was. And this time if he kissed her, she would resist…maybe. Where was he? The woman stood from the chair and began her pacing again, was he with Azurelle? Having a laugh at her expense as she waited around for him? Maria resisted the urge to destroy anything she could get her hands on, there didn't even seem to be any of the Assassin guards anywhere, just scholars who were busy researching endlessly. "Altaïr!" she gasped in surprise.

The Assassin looked at her, he sat on the wooden banister opposite the desk she was contemplating, "I do not use this room, I prefer to work without distraction…you should know that by now."

"Well I am sorry," was her bitterly sarcastic reply, "I take it you found her."

"Yes, in fact she laughed at me for apologising that she found out about us in such a way." Was Maria angry that he'd looked for the girl after she'd ordered him to? "There is no longer anything between us, Maria; would you have me leave her alone in the current situation? I am not sure exactly what it is you want me to do!" why was she so frustrating?

He dodged the inkpot thrown in his direction – why did the women in his life throw things at him all the time? "I want to know why you – forget it!" she turned her back to him, _she _left him, he had not actually done anything wrong, she was just jealous! "I thought I was worth more to you than that…"

"You are! But, Maria, if you are not kicking me in the face and leaving me to be butchered by guards you are melting against me and then leaving me every time we have an argument – I do not know where I stand with you most of the time! So when you say it is over and I do not see you for over a year. What exactly did you want me to do? Cry in a corner and hope you came back?" he walked around the desk and stood beside her, "I am feeling a little abused right now." He saw her eyes flicker in his direction, "I have been thrown out by you and told to find Azurelle and then when I find her, she throws me out and tells me to find you." He crossed his arms and leant against the desk, "I am beginning to think I would get more love from Malik!" she cracked a smile at that.

"Why did she throw you out?"

"Something about me being an idiot and telling you that I love you. Somehow she has become an oracle and knows all." There was silence from the other and for a while all Altaïr could hear was the shuffling and the turning of pages from the scholars. Was she still angry at him? "She said I will regret it if I do not tell you."

"…it's too late…I don't want to share you with anyone else, she's always going to be around to remind me…there is always going to be a child that is yours but not mine to contend with." His face was hidden from her view but she could tell he was feeling defeated by the way he stood, "so forget it." Maria turned to pick up her baby and leave, "Hannan?" she looked under the desk before searching the small area quickly, his toy sat abandoned but he was no where, "Hannan!" Altaïr's eyes widened, there was no baby he'd seen on the way up to speak to her.

Maria was rushing around the other side, searching between the bookcases and accosting one of the scholars to find out where the boy was. "He can not be far! You said he waits for you to get him. He must be close!" they went opposite ways as there was a hallway either side of the room; he had to be down one of them!

0

Azurelle stared out of a window, there was a bored looking boy nearby, he seemed to be studying something he had to know for his training, she remembered him from the other day as one of the young boys wanting to know if she really was faster than their master on roofs. She could see the garden out of the window, it was hot today and the pretty girls had all vanished in to the shade or gone elsewhere. A little spot of colour caught her eye on the lower area of the garden, which strangely ended on a cliff. Looking harder she realised it was moving – no – crawling only a few yards from the edge, "no!" the boys head shot up at her scared cry.

"Are you okay?" he asked in slight alarm, he didn't want her to be having her baby with him in the hall, "should I call a healer?"

"No, there's a baby in the garden by the edge! He might fall!" the boy jumped up and looked to where she was pointing, "we need to get him!" he nodded and ran quickly towards the stairwell, his texts lying forgotten on the floor. Azurelle wondered if the boy could run fast enough down two flights and across before the worst happened, she followed after him as quickly as she could and cursed the fact that she couldn't scale down the wall! A few people in the hall gave the boy a confused look as he barged past him and then he was followed a moment later by the pregnant woman – what was going on? Some shrugged it off and others followed after.

0

"He must be somewhere!" Maria snapped when she met back up with the empty handed Assassin, "why did no one see him?"

"Why were you not watching him?"

"so it's my fau-" a crash interrupted her and they saw a young novice pick himself up from the floor and run up the stairs, skipping steps in his hurry.

"What is going on?" Altaïr asked, the boy barrelled by him as if he were not there, he heard more people enter the hall below and stared over the banister at them, Azurelle was breathing hard as she tried to regain her breath, a few of the men that had followed her checked on her, mostly curious as to what was going on. "What has happened?" he shouted down. The brunette couldn't get enough air in her lungs to shout back but gasped at one of the Assassins.

"Master! She says there is a baby at the edge of the garden!" Altaïr looked at Maria before they both turned and ran in the direction that the boy had just gone.

"How did he get all the way out there!" Maria called as Altaïr passed her.

"I do not know!" he yelled back, he threw himself over the stairs leading to the grass and landed in the small pond, his body was working as hard as it could and when he saw the boy run down the left slope to the bottom of the garden he jumped over the marble stone that separated the two halves, he landed before the other and saw Hannan crawling after some sort of flying insect – it seemed like a bad story he'd read by some girl when he was younger, he had always thought a baby crawling to the edge of a cliff was cliché! "Hannan!"

000

I'm sure they had 'fanfiction' in the 1100's! I'm going back to sleep now! I started at 4 am and I'm running out of battery on the laptop! Thank you to the reviewers as usual!


	20. Chapter 20

Edited 8/9/10

He reached his son before anything terrible happened, Hannan was crying because a strange man had scooped him up and the insect had gotten away, Altaïr hadn't expected to have to grab the young novice before he barrelled off the cliff and now stood with baby in one arm and the boy's hood in his free hand as the novice's feet barely stayed on the grass and his body tilted over the edge, his grey hood choking him as it kept him up. The Assassin gave the material a tug and pulled the boy away from the cliff and onto his backside roughly, "I thought I was going to die…" he muttered as his heart pounded against his chest, his eyes looking up at Altaïr with awe. Maria was next to arrive, she snatched the child from his father's arms and nearly crushed him to her in relief, never had she been so frightened in her life! A small gathering of women and Assassins watched with a mixture of relief and confusion over what had actually happened. "I tried to get here faster! He looked far closer to the edge from the tower!"

Maria looked at the exhausted novice, yes he'd failed to actually save her son and nearly fallen off the cliff but he had tried! "If you hadn't have seen him…" she hugged him tightly again before continuing, "thank you."

"I didn't see him, it was her that pointed him out." He cocked his head toward Azurelle, she was still a little out of breath but she had to know that Hannan was safe; "I was studying…" he fell backwards onto the grass as he sucked in air.

"Perhaps more training would be beneficial." Altaïr said before Azurelle and Maria glared in his direction, he was grateful that the boy had tried! He would find a way to reward him somehow, "what is your name?"

"N-Nikil…" he hauled himself up, not wanting to be disrespectful by not looking at the master Assassin. Azurelle leant down by the boy and ruffled his short black hair with a smile, he had tried and that was good enough for her. "I messed up."

She shook her head, he had such a similar name to her acrobatic brother, Nikeel, he even looked a little like him if she squinted, "you were outrun, and you did fly down here from all that way…I'm surprised there isn't a trail of flame!" he blushed slightly at her praise and attention, "is Hannan alright?" Maria looked at her owlishly, half wanting to tell her to go away and half wanting to hug the girl, she settled on a firm nod – she wanted to dislike the girl but it wasn't easy.

"Please tell me my son does not make a habit of this." On Altaïr's off hand comment a small buzz of whispers started, the Assassin didn't take any notice as he checked the child over in case there was a hidden injury or lurking danger. Azurelle heard it though, she heard the women of the garden muttering and they stared from her to Maria, the girl caught a few of the words; 'wait, isn't she supposed to have Altaïr's child?' 'I bet she just wanted to have him all to herself and got pregnant on purpose,' 'I didn't think Altaïr would pick up whores.' She felt the eyes boring into her back and shivered.

Nikil frowned and grabbed her hand as he stood, "I left my books in the tower and I can't remember which one – help me." He pulled her after him gently, 'accidentally' stepping on the toes of one of the women, Azurelle glanced backwards at Altaïr and caught his eye, he looked confused as to why she was leaving and looked as if he planned to follow but a particularly loud wail caught his attention again. The boy led them back to his books easily without her help at all. "Ignore those witches! They gossip and giggle all day and don't know anything about anything!" her eyes widened in surprise, he'd taken her away so she wouldn't have to listen to the others?

"Thank you, Nikil." He nodded at her and flipped open his book to carry on from where he left off. "…how old are you?"

"Thirteen…why?"

"You just seem really mature for someone so short." He looked at her with a blank look, give it a year and he'd be taller than her! "I didn't mean anything bad by it! …thank you."

He went back to his book, "I just hate people who gossip about things they don't know about…I'm busy, you know." He was blushing again as Azurelle looked at him fondly, "you can pay me back by teaching me something cool after you finish being pregnant."

00

"Are you still sulking?" Malik stared at Nazeera as she sat silently in the study, she hadn't moved or spoken since he'd yelled at her earlier, she had gone to eat lunch with Azurelle and then returned to sulk, "why do you not go explore the fortress? Play with the women in the garden…make more plans."

"I don't like the garden."

"Because someone said the dancers in the garden were better than you – about eight years ago?" she stuck her nose up slightly and examined the bookcase as if it were the most interesting thing in the room. "You were out of order…I am angry at him also but you were taking it too far! Azurelle can take care of herself these days, you do not need to watch her so closely anymore, you do not need to fight her battles…"

"She's my baby sister! How can you possibly understand?" the words left her mouth and she groaned as her brain caught up with her mouth, "I didn't mean that." Standing up, Nazeera ambled over to stand behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, "you know, you were actually as ruthless as me with Kadar…he was just more willing to punch you in the mouth when you got too much." She kissed the top of his head, "I just hate when you yell at me…"

"Sometimes you _need_ yelling at."

"You know…it kind of turns me on…" Malik chuckled at her admission, how had he ended up with such a strange woman? "Can this paperwork wait? Can't I tempt you into leaving this constant writing and into our bed instead?"

"I would love to be tempted but I need to do this…"

Nipping his ear lobe softly, Nazeera's fingers worked into the muscles of his shoulders. "Liar. You haven't touched me since the day of the festival…I'm not going to break and I'm nearly recovered…I'm beginning to forget what you feel like." Her hands worked their way down his chest and he let out a breath he'd been holding since she came over to him.

"You can feel me right now, can you not?"

"You know what I mean! I'm becoming quite desperate, if I don't have you inside me soon, I'll die! I know I will!" her right hand dropped to his crotch and she squeezed the slight bulge that she found, "I think you miss me too." He groaned at her attention to him, "please?" Malik leant back in the chair and stared up at her face, her chocolate eyes smouldered down at him and he suppressed a shiver of desire that shot through him. She almost had him! Nazeera slipped herself onto his lap so that she straddled him and dropped light kisses along his jaw and mouth, "hey Malik. Is that a dagger in your pocket…" he shook his had at the over used innuendo and crushed their mouths together before she finished the line.

"Not in here." He said when she pulled away for air, "anyone can walk in." she rolled her eyes at him; if they were quick no one would know! She shifted closer and rocked herself against his growing length in an attempt to distract him from his thoughts. It worked and he soon had his mouth slanted across hers again in a deep, desperate kiss that had her mewling into his mouth. The Dai would have liked to have taken her in their bed where they could properly enjoy the reunion of their bodies but it wasn't an option as she undid the ties on his pants and hitched her skirt up her thighs, "eager?" his answer was given in the form of her taking hold of him and pulling him into her heat. Malik moaned loudly as she dropped down on him – it had been so long!

Nazeera paused once she had him to the hilt; she demanded more kisses from him as she adjusted to being filled. "This is not a good idea, Altaïr!" their heads snapped to the door as it opened and Altaïr burst in with Maria behind him. "You want me on the same floor as her?"

"It is better than the guest quarters and there is already a crib in one of the rooms!" Altaïr turned to look at the two already occupying the room, raising an eyebrow he smirked at the two, "in the study?"

"w-what is it you want?" Malik was astounded that he had kept his voice level, it seemed the two had not realised just how close he and Nazeera were, it helped that her flushed face was hidden in his neck but he would lose it if she continued to contract her muscles around his shaft. This was not how he wanted to be found by anyone, balls deep in a woman who had instigated the unintended show, "I am busy."

"More like _attempting_ to get busy." Came Maria's smug reply, she assumed they had walked in on something less, "not something my son should have to see." The Dai's eyes landed on the baby in her arms and upon seeing the child's eyes, he looked at Altaïr – the other Assassin looked away quickly knowing that Malik had seen the connection immediately.

"Later, Altaïr." Came his stern reply, Altaïr opened his mouth to argue but a fierce glare from the other made him shut his mouth, "go away!" taking the hint the Assassin pulled Maria out of the room and shut the door as she uttered something sarcastic at the couple. Nazeera pushed her head away from his neck and exhaled sharply; her skirt had hidden what they were doing from the others and saved them from any true embarrassment. Looking at Malik she frowned, why did he look so angry?

"Malik?" he looked at her as if startled, surely he had not forgotten her! His face smoothed and he attacked her neck with kisses and bites as he tried to salvage his desire from the anger he now had for Altaïr – he said nothing of having a child with Maria! He thrust his hips up and Nazeera gasped at the pleasurable movement – how was he supposed to explain to her that her sister's baby wasn't the only one that belonged to Altaïr? He pushed Nazeera the tiny distance up onto the desk and barely registered the pained sound she made when her shoulder was jarred by hitting the wood – how could the man be so careless? How did he always get into so much trouble? Malik had not been this angry at Altaïr for a long time, his thoughts were plagued by what he was going to say to the other man – how would Azurelle take the news?

"Stop! Malik!" her voice cut through his angry thoughts like a knife and he slowed his pistoning hips to a stand still. Looking down he registered the pained look on her face and the way she clutched at her injured shoulder. He had hurt her when he had thrown her onto the desk in his anger toward the other.

Malik made to leave her body but she wrapped her long legs around his waist to stop him, "I am sorry…I was not thinking straight, let me look at your shoulder." Nazeera shook her head and rolled her hips against him causing his to buck into her involuntarily – she winced. He hadn't just hurt her shoulder, "shit…I was too rough with you." He clenched his teeth as he seethed at himself, he should have been paying attention instead of internally cursing Altaïr.

"I'm fine, just be careful now…" her hand stroked his face reassuringly, she had felt immense pleasure until her shoulder had burned and his thrusts had become just a little too hard, "I'm nearly there so please don't stop." He kissed the palm of her hand softly before she dropped it back by her head, the dark curls of her loose hair tangling in her fingers, he leant down to press a firm kiss to her mouth as he began moving again at a slower pace, being mindful of her this time. He paid attention to her every moan, gasp and mewl, moving faster when she asked but refusing her request of 'harder', he soon had her crying out his name as she came and he joined her, his pleasure dulled by the guilt that he'd injured her; he had never hurt her before – never!

Malik took a moment to catch his breath and allow her to come down from her high before he took her hand and began pulling her toward the door, "bed." She smiled at the single word and leant against him as her legs felt too soft to walk on, at least she'd gotten him away from working.

000

Malik's going to kill a certain Assassin ~


	21. Chapter 21

Edited 8/9/10

"Tilt your head forward; it's really not that bad." Maria held the cloth to Azurelle's nose as she bled, "you should get used to these." The two women were sat in Azurelle's room a few days after the incident with Hannan. Maria had been forced to move into one of the five private rooms, she kept Hannan with her instead of the little nursery that had slowly been filled and decorated originally for the unborn baby but was now equipped with everything her own son could need or want – she just didn't want Altaïr to have easy access. It wasn't easy having a room besides Azurelle's; she'd wake up every morning and run into her, the girl's sister wouldn't acknowledge that Maria existed at all but Azurelle smiled shyly at her and often attempted a conversation – the English woman wanted to strangle her! Maria wanted to hate her, she wanted to be as horrid to the girl as Nazeera was to her but Azurelle was so benign and sweet it was impossible! "I used to get nose bleeds all the time with Hannan…he moved a lot as well."

"I'm sorry…I don't usually bleed over people in the hallways." The brunette would be lying if she said that the woman didn't intimidate her, she had watched Maria physically throw Altaïr against a wall in anger, the woman had been in more fights than Azurelle had done flips, she had been second to a Templer commander. Maria was amazing! The woman wiped her face of the remaining blood and nodded.

"You'll live." Maria stood up and made her way to the door

"w-wait!" Maria looked over her shoulder at her, "do you want to eat breakfast together?"

Maria nearly scoffed at the request, Altaïr's little mistress wanted to have breakfast together? Was she joking? Regarding the girl with a bewildered look Maria wasn't sure what to say, 'no' was running through her head, she didn't want to make friends with Azurelle, she was only here because she thought Altaïr would take her back and bond with his son, now she was here because the Assassin wasn't going to let her run off with the boy and she needed somewhere safe for him to live. "I need to feed Hannan."

"I don't mind."

"…I do."

They looked at each other for a long moment, Azurelle bit her lip and looked down at the floor, "that's alright, it is strange to have anything to do with the man that you love's ex…" she paused, "not sure what, but it's definitely over."

"I don't love him!"

"You so do." Azurelle hid the smirk on her lips as Maria flustered and looked startled. She could tell the dark haired woman wanted to argue over the matter but she was having difficulty. The brunette had been acting as innocent and as doll like as she could for Maria's benefit – it was hard to yell at someone you couldn't hate, so far, it had paid off. "I know for a fact he loves you, Altaïr may be smart and know a lot but he is ditzy." Maria chuckled at the description, she'd never thought of the Assassin as 'ditzy' before. "he doesn't like feelings, he doesn't know what to do with them and he carries them, over flowing, around in his arms and occasionally he'll drop one but hesitate to pick it up in case the rest fall too."

"that's…a very odd way to put it…" she wandered back to the girl and sat beside her again, "what are you trying to prove with this metaphor of yours?"

"Altaïr's a clumsy bastard and shouldn't carry lots of things." Maria looked at her, was the girl being serious? It was difficult to tell until she saw a smile break on the girl's face, "he has dropped a feeling for you – you need to pick it up and return it. I was simply helping him carry a few things."

"So…don't pick things up for Altaïr because you'll get pregnant is the moral." They both laughed at that and it was surprisingly easy to laugh together, Maria stood up again, this time with her hand around Azurelle's, "come on, I'll tell you all about the unwelcome changes you will have next month over breakfast." They collected Hannan and were about to head down the stairs when Altaïr appeared in front of them; he glanced over their joined hands and regarded them curiously. "Stop staring as if we have extra heads! You dropped something, Assassin." Altaïr frowned and looked behind him; he hadn't had anything to drop! Opening he mouth to retort he found himself with an armful of sleepy baby. "He'll want feeding soon, enjoy."

The two hurried off leaving him with the boy, "M-Maria! I do not know what to…" what did babies eat? Well, he'd wanted to spend more time with his son and this was a chance.

00

Breakfast was easy; they had talked long after they'd finished eating and then the name 'Friedrich Bosque' popped up in one of Maria's stories. They had chatted about him endlessly, apparently he woke up at the crack of dawn each day to trim, brush and take care of his beard, his hair had fallen out years ago and since then he'd been obsessed with his facial hair, he didn't carry whisky around for medicinal purposes and he _did_ have an obsession with pregnant women! After that Maria had decided that she wanted to look around at the little market going on in the village below, Azurelle hesitated, wouldn't Altaïr be angry with her for leaving the fortress.

"Oh, fuck him!" Maria said as she practically dragged the girl toward the exit.

"That's what got me into this mess!"

Rolling her eyes the older woman made the girl follow, the comment hadn't stung like she thought it would – this girl was almost like a bandage over Altaïr's heart and she was so willing to peel away to make room for Maria. It didn't make sense. Azurelle glanced backwards toward the windows of the fortress in case anyone saw her escape but mostly everyone went about their training and chatting as if she wasn't important. And she really liked the idea of not being the main topic of conversation! She was lucky, whenever she ventured into the garden, little Nikil always seemed to materialize and he would stare anyone down who spoke badly of her or anyone else for that matter.

Letting go of the girl's hand, Maria smiled smugly as if to say, 'look, we're not dead!' it wasn't until they reached the bottom of the hill that Azurelle pointed in a direction and said the Assassin's name.

"I swear if that man followed I'll make sure he can't walk!"

"Sorry, I meant the eagle, over there on the wires…eating yet another pigeon."

"Malik should tie Altaïr up…both of them."

The market was tiny compared to the variety and vastness of Jerusalem's market place. It was mostly craftsmen and food but the two women managed to find a clothing stall run by an attractive young man who was more than happy to ignore other customers to fulfil their needs. He offered them huge discounts on anything they wanted, Maria whispered in the girl's ear that merchants gave discounts to pregnant women to get rid of the larger clothing and that because Maria looked wealthy he was just being nice. So they decided to rob him blind! By the time they were through, Azurelle had all the clothing she would need for the next few months to wear as her belly would no doubt get bigger and Maria had clothing to fill a mostly empty wardrobe – not only was the discount crippling the young man but Maria had gotten her hand's on Altaïr's coin pouch when handing over the baby.

After that they decided to get lunch as the brunette's back began to ache and her feet were sore, she didn't want to return though. It was nice to be out in the sunshine with normal people bustling about and ignoring her because they had no idea she was pregnant with the Grand Master's baby and sitting next to a woman who had _had _the Grand Master's baby already. "So, you and Altaïr."

"You don't give up! And I now realise you're not as cute and sweet as you make out to be! This was all a ploy to get me to talk to you."

"And you fell for it! So, Altaïr and you." She wasn't going to give up, "I know you still love him and I know that he still loves you…I'm not stopping you and like I said, we're not together! You can't be angry at him because you weren't even together when we had our little sessions. He hasn't done anything wrong!" she didn't enjoy seeing Altaïr so torn up, he wanted to hold Maria, his hands always twitched when he was close to her and the woman had the Assassin's full attention, his eyes followed her every move! Azurelle knew she was an inconvenience; it was her that was hindering the couple's reunion. "We're just friends. Well, sort of…we barely have any similar interests, I have no idea what he's babbling on about most of the time and he finds my subjects terminally boring! So really, I guess we're not even really good friends."

"Don't you see it's always going to be, me, Altaïr and you…it doesn't make sense!"

"After this baby is born I am having a house down here, Altaïr suggested that I could teach basic skills to the really little novices while our son stays at the fortress and when I am done, I take him home again. We don't want to be together but we have to share this baby." It made perfect sense to her! "You could marry Altaïr, it would be you and him all the time…don't you want that?"

Maria wanted that very much, she didn't know if she could share him, even partially, with anyone else though. Maria saw the way Altaïr's eyes would watch over the brunette, he stalked her often from the shadows just to see that she was healthy – that she was happy. His eyes rested on her with a gentle adoration that made Maria jealous often and she wondered if the Assassin loved the girl, even a little bit. No, as long as Azurelle was around, Maria would never fully have Altaïr's attention. "That day, when you walked in on Altaïr and I kissing…what went through your head?"

"I was sad. I thought he would abandon me and I don't know how I'd look after my baby if that happened – I'm just a performer, my money, the roof over my head, food and drink I was given, I worked to keep all that but it's not an option anymore…I'm not a fighter like you, I'm not hugely clever and I'm about as graceful as a drunk cow in the mud – so I have to rely on him until I find my feet in Masyaf. I ran to my room and threw a couple of things around, choked on my own breaths and fell asleep for a little while. When I woke up, I was relieved – Altaïr doesn't need me anymore, he'll be happy with Maria. I'm not going to have to waste good coin on having him killed while he sleeps just so he'll leave me alone and stop pestering me about this bump!"

Maria shook her head in disbelief, "you _let_ him use you? Why?"

"I was curious and he needed someone to hold…it worked out well, we had the whole thing planned from the beginning, not the getting pregnant bit, we could stop at any time and I said stop." She gazed mournfully at the woman, "please, Maria…give him a chance."

00

Altaïr wondered where the two had gone, he'd been informed that they'd left the fortress and someone would keep an eye on them, he knew they wouldn't leave, Maria had left her son as a guarantee they'd be back. The baby dozed against his shoulder peacefully, his little breaths puffed over the skin of Altaïr's neck as the Assassin wrote a few things down in the coded language he was working with, he didn't think he'd get any rest from the boys constant want for attention, his crying and definite calls for his mother – his father still so much of a stranger to him. He would work hard to change that, he didn't care how long it would take but he would have Hannan recognise him as his father. Though one thing he hoped never to do again was change _any_ baby, it was not his greatest moment and he'd been sorely tempted to seek out one of the women for the job!

Another thing that weighed heavily on his mind was Maria and Azurelle, when had they become such good friends? Perhaps they were destined to get along and it was Altaïr's presence alone that caused the friction. He loved Maria but Azurelle he adored completely, both annoyed him so much that he wanted to strangle them, one beat him with her fists while the other cried him into submission and he could argue with both of them until the world ended because they were each so damn stubborn! He would be content with Maria…Azurelle would always be a temptation within his grasp, "what am I supposed to do?" Hannan didn't respond to the soft rumble or the quiet question, his little eyes were shut and he looked quite peaceful – would the child that Azurelle bore look similar? Would he have a light spattering of freckles like his mother? Whose eyes would he inherit? Hair colour? Would he be as white as this baby in his arms or more tanned? Would he call for his mother or his father first? …what if it was a girl?

He would not know these answers for a little while yet, it was easier to contemplate his unborn child and the one in his arms than of his feelings for the two women. As gently as he could he stood and transferred the baby from his arms and into the crib of the nursery, Maria would be upset he was in here but that was tough. "He's adorable…" Altaïr straightened up and looked toward the doorway that held Azurelle, he nodded at her statement and crept silently from the crib, one of his hands found it's way on to her belly and he ducked down to kiss the top of her head, "I think the walk back made him sleep, I might go lay down myself while he's not kicking."

"You do look tired." He noticed the odd way she stood; she wasn't just tired it seemed, "backache?" she nodded against his chest, her body leaning against him slightly as she sighed. She didn't think she'd be so tired! She decided to return to her room, Altaïr followed her, which didn't surprise her at all, she wasn't even surprised when he helped her with her shoes and found a pillow to rest under her lower back. He pulled the blanket over her, his fingers playing in her hair, it had grown, it now rested on her shoulders instead of above and he actually quite liked it, it was better when she wore her hair loose – that was why he always destroyed, lost or found a way to stop her wearing hairpins. He kissed her forehead and couldn't help the urge to kiss her lips but she stopped him.

"Maria is waiting for you…in your room." He pressed his lips to her cheek instead, his thumb tracing her cheek as he stood from the bed, he couldn't look at her – she was _too_ tempting and he couldn't have them both.

"I will wake you in time for dinner…" he left her to rest then, knowing she needed it and that if he stayed any longer he would do something foolish. Instead he closed the door quietly and walked across the hall into his room where he was greeted by Maria's warm embrace – what was he supposed to do? He stroked Maria's face and was pleased when she excepted the touch, rubbing his thumb over her cheek his brows furrowed for a minute second, he'd left a wet trail on her skin and leaning forward he ran his lips over the dampness to remove it. Tears? Maria was not crying and nor was he…where had he collected the little drop from?

000

Started revamping chapters today! Won't be posting them for a few days though!

Don't worry SafetyPinStitches, I have plans for Azurelle! She'll be happy…somehow.


	22. Chapter 22

Edited 8/9/10

Azurelle hummed in her sleep, she was waking up and she wasn't quite sure that's what she wanted and tried to turn over. Something was in her way. Her eyes fluttered open slowly and focussed on the face in her view, "that's creepy…" he smiled at her comment and continued to rub her cheek with his thumb – tear tracks. Mystery solved.

Why was he sitting on her bed? Hadn't he only just left? Looking to the window she saw that the sky was dull and night would fall in only a few hours time, she had slept, "can I not just go back to sleep?"

"No, I need to talk to you." Azurelle sighed and sat up clumsily, this man was a pain sometimes. "Why were you crying?"

"I wasn't! I only just woke up!" inwardly she winced, she could have said that with a little more conviction, she might as well of admitted it and not sounded like such a liar.

Altaïr continued to stare at her, she was her own worst enemy at times, "you have tear marks on your face, you must have been crying before you fell asleep – why, Azurelle?" he watched pout childishly and attempt to pull her knees to her chest, she seemed annoyed that she was unable and crossed her arms and turned her head away instead, "was it Maria?"

"no." she felt her face being gently tugged to him, he would know that she was lying and she had no excuse. She liked Maria and she wanted Altaïr to be with the woman but the actual thought of them _together_ made her jealous and she had no right to be! She had ended it with Altaïr before Maria had showed up and it annoyed her greatly that someone else touching the Assassin _hurt_! She knew what they would do in Altaïr's room, she'd convinced Maria to take him back and she hated herself for it. His lips on her face made her jump out of her thoughts, "stop it."

"You are crying now. Tell me why." He was so close to her that if she lifted her head just a fraction…could she? What about all that hard work trying to get the English woman to not hate her? Why was it so hard to be good? Why was it always easier to be selfish? Azurelle pressed her lips to his and practically melted when his tongue caressed her lower lip for entrance and deepened the kiss. Her arms lifted around his shoulders and she felt his snake around her body – was this another dream? Surely she was going to wake up alone any moment now flustered and frustrated. With a little bit of pressure, Altaïr had her laid back on the bed and allowed his hands to roam along her body – he'd missed this body. They pulled apart for air; the Assassin took no time at all to kiss along her jaw and down her neck, his tongue painting patterns on her skin as he groaned at the taste of her skin.

"What about Maria! I thought you loved her?" she gasped at the light suction of his mouth on her shoulder, he was sliding her dress down her arms and she was tingling everywhere his rough hands glided over, "you don't need me anymore."

At that Altaïr rose back up and seemed to glare down at her in all seriousness, he looked grim and she was half worried he'd realised what he was doing and was going to leave until he said quite clearly, "I _need_ you." She shivered hard at the phrase and this time said nothing when his lips and tongue and teeth returned to her body.

Altaïr knew this was wrong, he loved Maria! The woman had just accepted him back into her bed and here he was taking advantage of Azurelle again, she wouldn't say no to him, she wouldn't make him stop or yell at him angrily – she wouldn't stop him from taking from her. He had given her nothing but grief and still she let him take from her again and again! The whole time he'd been with Maria the brunette lingered in his mind's eye, things that were similar between the two women, what was different, what was better and in the end he'd been grateful when Maria had told him she wasn't ready to go all the way. Was it his unspent lust that had him here now with a girl who wouldn't refuse him or was it the salty taste of her tears burnt onto his lips?

"Altaïr…you can't have us both."

"I _can not_ choose!" he growled, why couldn't she just let it rest! "I have tried and it is driving me insane! I want you both, I do not want to lose either of you and I know it is not fair!"

Azurelle sighed sadly at his lost and confused expression, "so am I to become your dirty little secret? You be with Maria and have me in the shadows – behind her back?"

"I have been craving you since the last night, I thought I could manage without you…I thought I could resist the urge to touch you and I know that if another man ever laid a hand on you I would kill him!" he couldn't let her go, she was safe and she wouldn't leave him – she ruled his heart with her soft touch where Maria dominated it. "Do you want me to stop?"

She wanted to say yes, really she did! But she realised she'd missed him, yes he had touched her before but it had been soft, affectionate but they had been almost brotherly as opposed to now. His hands knew her body, he knew where to touch, to kiss –he knew her. She was a horrible person, she was the kind of human being she despised but she didn't care! She wanted Altaïr and if she had to share him and hide then she would!

"Never stop…never." Altaïr kissed her again; she would never say no to him, he knew that. Running his hands over her body again he deepened the kiss and hissed in pain when she bit his lip, pulling away he licked his lip of the coppery blood she'd drawn. "Sorry." Azurelle leant up and kissed the torn lip in apology and at the same time removed his hand from her breast, "it hurts more than it pleases – I didn't mean to bite you."

"I will remember that…" his other hand dropped from its journey towards the other breast, he'd hate to be bitten again for the same thing. "Anywhere else off limits?" she rolled her eyes and pulled his mouth back to hers – surely he wouldn't sulk because he could no longer grope here there. The brunette coaxed his lips back into action, it had been so long and she wanted him.

Altaïr's right hand slid down the length of her body, it crept beneath her dress and caressed its way up the inside of her leg, her little mewl made him grin into the kiss, he was barely even near her thigh and already she was reacting, "sensitive today?" she glared at him, smug bastard! Two of his fingers stroked between her legs gently and she squealed in delight. "Shush! You will have the entire fortress hear you."

"Then warn me before you do that!"

"Now."

"'Now' wha – AH!" she hated him! She hated him so much! He'd slid his finger into her and his thumb was rolling over her sensitive little bud deliciously, she had to bite down on her knuckles to keep quiet and he seemed far too satisfied with his work than she liked. Altaïr worked her body with practised ease, his mouth left marks all over her body and he revelled in every smothered moan, mewl and eventually her cry of release. She shook and trembled, her breath coming in short little gasps.

"…we should go down before we are missed."

"Not hungry." She turned onto her side, facing the wall and pulling the cover up. The Assassin blinked in surprise – what had just happened? It irked him that she was suddenly so cold, had he done something wrong?

"What is wrong now? I thought…" he didn't know what he'd thought but he was wrong obviously, "you are eating for two remember." He stood and left the room, he knew there would be an argument if he stayed.

Azurelle shivered lightly, her body still glowing from the unexpected little episode and her mind kept telling her she was selfish. If she'd sent him away he would have had to of gone with Maria, he wouldn't have cheated on the woman! That was what it was now…he was stringing them both along and she could have prevented it with a simple word – no. so why didn't she? 'Because you want him all for yourself and you'll go behind Maria's back to get him.' The voice was unwelcome, why wasn't she allowed to be selfish just this once? Maria had abandoned Altaïr; she didn't deserve to have him!

She was a wicked person, Nazeera had taught her better than that! She felt guilty…but at the same time…a little piece of Altaïr's heart was hers alone and she found she didn't hurt as much. "You don't blame me do you?" asking her baby seemed a safe way not to have a lecture didn't it? A firm kick from within dashed her hopes, "what do you know anyway!"

00

Malik and Nazeera tied the knot in the middle of Azurelle's sixth month; they had a private ceremony to which Altaïr and the brunette were asked to attend. Afterwards they had announced it to a few known gossips and by late afternoon it was decided they were to attend the tavern in the village below for an unofficial wedding party. At some point the two had vanished and no one seemed bothered as they continued to celebrate. "Altaïr, where did my sister go?" the Assassin smirked, "that's not an answer! I want to say good night before I go."

"Tired already?" she nodded, "well, you know where the horses are kept behind this building there is a large haystack…they are in there."

"Wasn't that where they first – you know…" he smirked again, "eww, are they reliving their first time? It's kind of sweet but…maybe I'll not say good night." She couldn't believe her sister was going to spend her wedding night in a haystack where anyone could find her and Malik...in a very intimate position. "I guess she really likes horses."

"Why is that?"

"She always says, 'save a horse…ride an Assassin.'" He laughed at that – that was something he would not argue with Nazeera over. They decided to leave together, Altaïr hadn't planned on staying long and he wanted to make sure Azurelle made it up the hill; she had more energy these days but she tired quickly, the baby seemed to have a fondness for kicking her in the lungs. And she was much bigger now, the bulge had grown into a prominent bump over the last few weeks causing her to feel the strain on her back and pelvis – she often snuck into his room these nights, complaining that she could not get comfortable enough to sleep. And despite the danger of Maria finding out, Azurelle found it comforting to sleep in his arms.

As they were passing the horse paddock the young brunette couldn't help but call out, "Nazeera, your bottom is showing!" there was a shocked squeal and then a string of curses as the woman realised they couldn't be seen from behind the straw and with a highly amused cackle Azurelle retreated with the Assassin.

Altaïr stopped and pulled her toward him before they came into view of the fortress. He kissed her passionately for a long time before releasing her, "I am going away tomorrow, there is an issue in Damascus that I must see to…It will not take long." He watched her eyes widen at the news, "nothing will happen before I return, there are still months before he is due – I _will _be back before then."

"Promise!"

"Yes. Stay with me tonight…" she frowned at the request, what about Maria? She still felt guilty every time he was near, every time she had to sit beside the woman and listen about how Maria was hesitant to do anything too intimate with the man – she was still angry apparently. And here Azurelle was – in his arms, in his bed, she had yet to let Altaïr take her; feeling that that would be the ultimate betrayal. "I need to know you have slept before I leave…and being away will be unbearable." As he kissed her again, Azurelle wondered which would be unbearable – being away from her or Maria and their son.

000

How did it all get so complicated? When did Altaïr turn into a cheat! This used to be a simple little story…it was supposed to be a one shot! Oh well! Chapters seem a little short to me but I do update everyday!

Thank you for the review…even if one of you hates me…*cries….chuckles evilly!* Well, more tomorrow!


	23. Chapter 23

Edited 8/9/10

Maria's brow was creased in worry, Altaïr had been gone for a day and Malik was unavailable – Nazeera wouldn't talk to her so she was stuck outside Azurelle's door. The girl had been edgy lately; she avoided everyone and kept to herself in her room. Knocking again, Maria called through the wooden door, "you missed breakfast…I'm coming in!" she couldn't wait another second to be ignored! She walked in and paused, Azurelle's grey eyes fell on her and the girl promptly burst into tears. When Maria tried to lay a hand on her shoulder it was slapped away. "…what has happened?" she knelt down to the girls level and tried to see her face through the hands, "is it the baby? Has something happened?" maybe she should find a healer? "Azurelle?" nothing.

The woman could get nothing from her, the more she tried the more the little brunette would sob. This wasn't right! Usually Azurelle was such a happy person with a strong will and a ready smile. This was wrong. Running from the room Maria descended down the stairs, she ignored the looks from people she passed, she was looking for only one person and she could only pray the woman was where often was.

0

Nazeera was preening happily in the garden; she had gotten over her dislike of the place once the younger girls who inhabited the little piece of paradise had seemed to revere her as something wonderful. She couldn't help getting such a big head with all of these girls telling her how pretty she was and would she please please teach them some dances, they wanted to know all about Malik as he was such a mystery to them and they wanted to hear gossip about her little sister – which she stared down anyone who asked. So when someone's shadow covered her she assumed it was one of the girls, "what – oh. You." Nazeera frowned and turned away from the English woman.

"I don't care what you may think of me but I thought you would care if I said to you, Azurelle is in her room, sobbing her little heart out, she has not eaten today and she does not look as if she's slept. She will not say a word to anyone!" Maria nearly yelled in victory as the other woman looked up at her with a worried expression – so she wasn't invisible to the other! Nazeera stood and sped indoors, why hadn't she noticed her sister's trouble? Why did Altaïr's former lover have to come and tell her? Both of them rushed back to the private area of the fortress, once again causing alarm to the Assassins they passed on the way.

"Azurelle!" Nazeera's heart broke at the sight of her baby sister crying so brokenly into her hands, "honey, what is wrong?" she attempted to hug the girl but she too was pushed away. "Azurelle! It's me! What's wrong with you?" the woman sat on the bed and firmly wrapped her arms around her from the side, the girl growled and tugged and pulled in an attempt to escape but Nazeera held fast. "What is wrong with you?"

"Get off me!" she nearly screamed giving another fierce pull to no avail, "I'm a horrible person! So leave me alone! Go away!" her sobs became harder as she yelled at her older sister.

"Maria…go find a healer, this is doing her no good at all!" she saw the other woman flinch, obviously not used to being given orders but she went anyway – if it meant getting the girl to calm down she would co-operate. Once she had gone Nazeera tried talking to her again, "why are you horrible? What's wrong?" she tried rocking her gently but she had never seen Azurelle worked up so much, this wasn't even a simple tantrum!

"They're right…the girls in the garden!" her speech was a little difficult to understand because of her crying but Nazeera frowned once she understood, "I'm so stupid! I'm no…no better than a street whore!"

"Azurelle! What are you saying! Who said that? It's not true! You are annoyingly trusting, you're sweet and kind, you wouldn't hurt a fly and you are certainly not a whore!" wasn't the brunette stronger than this? To let simple words destroy her in such a way, "you are the most selfless, mature person I know!"

At this she sobbed louder, her breaths turning into harsh gasps as she continued, "I'm a wicked, selfish person! I have no right to…she's my _friend_! She's helped me with so much and I…I should have been stronger! But I wanted him!" she threw her arms around Nazeera's neck and hid her face in the woman's shoulder, "I _could _have said no! I _should _have! I thought it would stop hurting but…I'm horrible!" she felt so terribly guilty, she wondered if this was how Altaïr felt when he caused Malik to lose his arm, did he feel so awful that it felt as if his blood had turned to ice and caused his body to sting so wretchedly? It hurt to breathe, to think…she couldn't even look at herself in the mirror she was so ashamed. When Altaïr had been by her side, she barely felt bad, he would distract her and her mind would tell her it was alright and that she wasn't really doing anything wrong. He'd gone and every second she had to spend with Maria was actually painful, like being stabbed with tiny pins every second! Without the man to look at and remind herself exactly what she was fighting for, she could only dwell on how _wrong _she was being!

_She_ had been the one to tell Altaïr to go to Maria, _she_ had been the one to coax Maria into Altaïr's arms and then _she_ had broken and snatched him for herself – _behind_ the woman's back like a snake! Yes, Altaïr had come to her but she had not sent him away because… "Nazeera…Altaïr's cheating on Maria…" the older woman gasped, "I spend the day with her confiding in me and then behind her back I'm sleeping with him! I'm an evil horrible worm!"

Azurelle's crying renewed as she said it aloud, surprised when Nazeera tightened her hold in an almost protective grip, she had expected to be thrown aside, "why are you doing such a horrible thing? You are better than this!"

"Because I love him."

Giving a pained exhale Nazeera cursed the Assassin under her breath – she knew this would happen! "He was your first, Azurelle, you might think you love him but you don't know for sure! There is a difference between love and lust…you two have nothing in common! He's far too old for you and he's a selfish, manipulative bastard! This is his fault so don't you dare try and defend him! He has to choose one of you – he can't have you both! And I can't believe he would have so much disrespect for you to make you into some little mistress while he openly displays affection to her!" she knew Azurelle didn't go to him first and the fact that she had broken down only proved that she knew she was doing something wrong and it had been eating away at her for a month; the distraction of her prize keeping the guilt manageable – but without him she had no where to hide from the feelings, "what did he say to you?"

She choked on her words, the phrase sounded so weak and impossible that Azurelle could not believe it had ever broken her resolve at all, "he…he can't choose one of us…even though I kept pushing him toward Maria...he- he said…he said he needed me! …I agreed to be his dirty little secret – I thought it would be easy! People do it all the time! I didn't think I'd hurt anyone! _I _agreed! He gave me the option to back out and I didn't take it because I want him!" she felt like a spoilt little brat for taking what wasn't hers but she knew – if Altaïr came to her again she wouldn't refuse. "I'm a monster…" Nazeera now had tears leaking from her eyes; she hadn't been paying attention to Azurelle at all. If she had she would have realised sooner the guilt that shined so brightly in her grey eyes, how the girl looked over her shoulder as if something were dogging her steps…the way she had withdrawn. "I don't want to hurt anyone…but I can't give him up if he _needs_ me!"

Maria returned with a middle aged woman, she had met Azurelle before because Altaïr wanted the woman with so much experience of birthing that the girl wouldn't have to be so anxious. She regarded the girl with a frown, she was sobbing so hard and her breaths were so erratic that it couldn't be doing her any good at all.

"Every time he kicks…it's like a knife, it's like he knows what a horrible thing it is I am doing!" Nazeera shushed her, she had worked herself up so ridiculously that she sounded almost paranoid, "I don't deserve…I'm terrible!" the midwife came closer, she hadn't been able to understand the garbled mess of words but she could see that it was emotional as to physical pain, the girl needed to rest before she distressed the baby because at this stage of the pregnancy it could trigger an early birth and that would help no one.

"right." She said and put a bag on the bed beside the girl, she drew out a corked bottle and a cloth from within and spilled the liquid into the cloth, this was the easiest way to make the girl lucid because she would likely choke on anything she was given orally. Azurelle saw what she was planning and tried to escape from Nazeera's grasp, she didn't want to sleep! Every time she shut her eyes she thought about what she was doing to Maria – being her friend one minute and betraying her the next! "this is for your own good, child!" it was a struggle, Nazeera held tight to her, the midwife had to take hold of her head so Maria could place the cloth over her mouth and nose; Azurelle slowly became limp and slumped against her sister, she was only given enough to make her dozy as too much would force her into a deep sleep. "This is why girls should wait to have children! The younger they are the worse they're affected by mood swings! They take everything to heart and become so needy and desperate…it doesn't help that she has no husband to support her! I've known girls to destroy their husband's belongings because they thought it would be a good idea and then they spend the rest of the time crying because of their stupidity!"

"A-are you saying…that her emotions…because she's pregnant, she'll do stupid things that she possibly wouldn't otherwise?" Nazeera laid her down and tried to shush her as every word she uttered was an apology, "it's her being pregnant that's making her so emotional?"

"As I said…the younger they are, the less they can cope. I don't know how she got into this state but I suggest that whatever has her so upset is sorted out soon. Now both of you out, I'll watch her for now." She ushered them out and shut the door firmly behind the two women.

Maria looked to the distraught woman, "what was wrong?"

"Altaïr! As bloody usual it's his fault!" she closed her mouth before she said anything too damaging this could be fixed…she would think of a way to fix it and make up for her lack of care for her younger sibling, "she thinks she's in love with Altaïr. She wants him all for herself and because of that she feels like she's stabbing you in the back. She feels guilty because she wants to take something that isn't hers and she thinks that makes her some sort of wicked snake in the grass!" she turned her fierce glare on the woman, "if you had stayed away instead of thinking that nearly a year after throwing Altaïr aside you could waltz back into his arms this wouldn't have happened! She would have had her baby with whatever support he could give her – freely – without having to think, 'will this upset Maria'. She would have had her baby and then she would have moved into a nice little house and she wouldn't have felt threatened that someone would take him away from her! She was breaking her bonds to him slowly so she could walk away and live her own life! You showed up and she had to cut all ties and had to feel jealous and sad while you talked about how much care for a man you abandoned!"

"What do you want me to do?" Maria yelled back at the woman whose tone had been rising in volume, "She's been telling me to go to him! How am I in the wrong! If she wanted him so badly why didn't she flutter those pretty little lashes at him and take him!"

"Because she's not a selfish little bitch! Just the thought of taking him from you has broken her so thoroughly! Can't you just go away again? She wouldn't feel so fucking guilty if you weren't around! Can't you just go away and come back when her fascination for that bastard wears off! Or until after she's had the baby so she can control her feelings!" an arm wrapped around Nazeera's waist and she nearly lashed out at the owner, through her tears she saw Malik's concerned features – he had come to find her and heard the yelling. It wasn't often she worked herself up so much, "she's better than this Malik…you know she's not a cruel girl! She'll give him everything she has and he'll just keep taking!" a baby's cry sounded through the hallway from the nursery and Maria took this as a moment to escape, how was any of this her fault!

Malik led his crying wife to their room and sat her down until she was calm enough to tell him Azurelle's guilty confession, he listened calmly, surprised that Azurelle would do such a thing and degrade herself to such a level. He knew she had said yes to Altaïr and agreed to his terms of the secret little affair but it was the Assassin who was in the wrong. "That bastard _knows _she would never refuse him…how can he be so selfish! He would have pursued her ruthlessly even if she had said no…he would have kept going until she agreed!" for the first time in many years Malik was actually ashamed of his friend – he had not known such selfish disregard for others since before his arm was taken, "this is not her fault…she should know better but this is more his fault than hers and she should not have to suffer for it!" he stood and went to the desk in the corner of the room, pulling open and ink bottle with his teeth , Malik took out a piece of paper and grabbed his quill.

"What are you doing?"

"A message for Altaïr." He scribbled quickly and jerkily across the paper a simple message;

_Altaïr,_

_Your past self is rearing his ugly head,_

_And he is _killing _Azurelle._

_I thought you were better than this, my friend._

_Choose._

_Your disappointed friend,_

_Malik._

He rolled the paper up hastily after drying the ink and went to the window letting out a high pitched whistle. It was a long moment but his eagle flew to the window and landed on the ledge cawing and flapping his wings, the Dai tied the message to the creature's leg and commanded it to find its name sake. The bird may have been a terror to pigeons and it often caused trouble but he had trained it well, the bird would find anyone it was trained to find – this was the only reason it hadn't found itself on the dinner table, "find him and tear his eyeballs out." This had to stop.

000

Two in one night! I thought I might as well because I won't have enough angst tomorrow to write out Azurelle's guilt angst. She's not the kind of girl who will feel no guilt at what she's done but she _needs_ someone! Night night!


	24. Chapter 24

_Malik,_

_I do not understand your meaning._

_What has happened to Azurelle? Is she safe?_

_What have I done to offend you?_

_Altaïr._

_Altaïr,_

_You truly are a fool at times,_

_She has been broken by guilt, _

_She can not face betraying Maria and longer._

_How can you be so selfish?_

_Malik._

_Malik,_

_I did not think she would break,_

_She seemed happy when I left!_

_I am returning to Masyaf._

_Altaïr._

Malik screwed up the note and threw it aside, the man was an idiot! The eagle flapped his wings impatiently and found himself rewarded by his owner. The past few days had consisted of messages back and forth between the two leaders, at some point Altaïr had sent a separate note to someone who could take over his mission to Damascus so the man could return. Azurelle was under the midwife's constant watch, she still refused to talk to anyone and the simplest of things would cause her to cry. Nazeera had tried to see the girl as often as possible but was often refused admission by her sister, why had every thing gotten so complicated – he preferred it when his wife had ignored Maria. The bruises on each of the women were testament to how violently they clashed when they met. He was sick of hearing from someone that they were fighting like cats once again! With any luck the Assassin would arrive by the next day if he rode desperately and by the way his handwriting was so hard to read he was desperate.

00

He stalked through the halls of the fortress, he was exhausted from riding non stop, even through the night but his anxious heart would not have let him rest even if he had wanted, the first message had panicked him and then every message after had instilled more fear. Azurelle would not sleep unless forced by medicine, she had to be bullied into eating, she wouldn't stop crying and she was having to be put into a lucid state. She had been fine when he'd left her, yes, he had noticed she wasn't entirely happy about going behind Maria's back but not to such an extent! He only stopped when he reached the bottom of the stone stairway, Maria was stood at the top with his son and he only took a second to register her bruised lip and the healing scab over her lip, "who did that?"

"Nazeera, don't worry, she has a matching mark. The silly cow should not get into a fist fight without at least a little bit of training." She was more than embarrassed that the woman had given her a split lip. "She will listen to no one but you, Altaïr…I am actually worried about the girl." She watched him climb the stairs and stop by her side, he stroked his son's head and the boy burbled happily at his father's attention of him, "we've done this to her."

"No. _I_ have!" he passed her and opened the door to the acrobat's room, the woman inside frowned in disapproval at his abrupt entrance; he always had been an impertinent boy! "how is she?" he looked at her carefully, she was asleep, the skin around her eyes was dark and red blotches covered the puffy skin, she looked so pale and even in her sleep she looked distraught, "what exactly has happened?"

"She will not tell a soul, her sister is the only one who knows what ails this girl and she won't say a word either. She keeps saying that she's a terrible person, a snake, she's wicked and mean and horrible. Whatever it is she has done…she can't cope with it. I'm doing all I can but she can't spend the rest of her pregnancy in this state. You would think she had killed someone the way she goes on when she's awake." The woman sighed heavily, she hadn't planned on baby sitting the girl for the last week and a half, she had hoped it was a one off emotional break down and the girl would get over it – she hadn't.

Altaïr listened unhappily to the woman; he knelt down beside the bed and reached out to run the back of his hand along her face, "she has a fever." The woman nodded, she knew though it was nothing to be alarmed over yet. He swore under his breath, he thought she was stronger than this, looking at her in such a state made his gut twist painfully, he had asked too much of her this time and she had broken from the pressure he'd put on her little shoulders – seeing her like this reminded him just how young she was, how much she wanted to please the people around her with no regard to herself. He was selfish and Malik had been right in his accusations of him returning to his old ways, he thought he'd learned his lesson. Why did others always pay the price for his failures? "You look tired, old lady…perhaps you should rest for a little while."

"Perhaps I ought to beat you round the head!" she stood up and left, eager to have fresh air and a less depressing atmosphere smothering her, "do not agitate her." His brow creased in annoyance, just because the woman had clipped his ear when he had been a teenager didn't mean she could continue treating him in such a way! Small hands found the one on her face and the Assassin hesitated to turn and face her, when her fingers curled around his hand he could no longer resist, she wanted his attention.

Seeing her eyes nearly made him choke, how he had not seen the sad, guilty and self loathing in her usually bright eyes before was baffling to him. This wasn't something that had happened overnight, it must have been festering inside her since he'd forced her to him. She had never wanted to hurt anyone and he had made her do it for his own desires.

"Altaïr…" the sound of her voice stung his ears, it was so quiet and cracked he wasn't even sure it was her talking at all, "I…I want to stop. I can't share you…I don't mean to disappoint you but…I can't hurt my friends. Not even for you." _She_ was apologising to _him_? How, even now, how did she manage to blame this on herself! How stupidly naïve could she be? "I know – you…you said you needed me but…please, can we stop…I want to stop," he watched the tears fall from her eyes, amazed that she had any left, "we agreed…you said all I had to do was say the word." Altaïr closed his hazel eyes – he couldn't look at her any longer, even though the image of her had been burnt into his minds eye he wanted to escape it, he wanted to run from the room and not face what his selfish act had done to her. He had destroyed her.

It was easier to pull her to him and crush her frail little body against his chest, he couldn't see her then, "I will not make you do anything you do not want to do. I will not make you sneak around in the shadows or force you into anything anymore. You have not disappointed me! I took too much from you, I piled you high with worry and expectations, I expected you to do things you knew were wrong but did anyway just to please me. I was stupid, selfish and it is my entire fault, not a single blame can touch you, Azurelle, this is not guilt you should carry!" he could feel her shaking her head in denial, even now she would not allow him to take responsibility and it was infuriating, "damn it, Azurelle! Why must you always be so stubborn! Just accept that I am to blame!"

"No!" she pushed at his chest and glared at him furiously, "I have a mind of my own! I made the decision to do this thing because I wanted you all for myself! My whole life people keep telling me that things aren't my fault and I'm sick of being treated like a child! I can say no!" Altaïr's eyes widened at her little outburst, he could see some of the fire return to her eyes and her determination was right behind it. "_I _chose to sleep with you; _I _was stupid enough not to think that I could end up pregnant!_ I_ decided to keep my baby, _I_ chose to get on that horse and come here! And _I_ chose not to say no to you! How can you say I'm guiltless?"

A few more pushes and Altaïr could only hope he would break her self induced misery, "is your pity party over now? Was all this just so I would return and you could yell at me because you feel bad?" up until that point he had been perched on the edge of her bed – he honestly hadn't seen the right hook coming and it threw him to the floor in a heap of white cloth. It looked like her enforced guilt trip had broken – possibly along with his jaw.

"You are a complete arsehole! Why do I have to fall for such a…a complete and utter bastard! Stop with your almighty Assassin act and grow a pair! Make a fucking decision and put me out of my misery! I can't live with myself if I have to betray people I care about! I'm falling apart because I'm too weak willed to be selfish!" even though she was panting with the exertion her tantrum had brought her and her lungs struggled for air in hard gasps the brunette's face was an angry veil across usually gentle features, "you helped me do this so now you can help me by making up your stupid, idiotic, pea brained, horribly tempting, moronic mind up!" she sniffled into her cover and flopped back down into her nest of pillows and pulled it over her head. She hated being pregnant! She didn't know whether to cry or hit him again!

Altaïr rubbed his jaw gingerly, how could she pack such a powerful punch, "azure – "

"Piss off!"

00

"How do you turn a sobbing mess into an _angry_ sobbing mess?" Altaïr stretched the muscles of his jaw, wincing in pain as the skin ached at the movement, "we wanted you to help her not infuriate her to the point where she has to be sedated for other people's safety!" Malik spun on his heal to glare at the other, "have you nothing to say, Altaïr!"

"Pregnant women are frightening – please do not get Nazeera pregnant."

"Altaïr!" Malik hissed unamused, "did you do this on purpose, were you aiming to make her angry?"

"Not at first but when I tried to tell her it was not her fault and she became infuriated, some life sparked within her and it seemed the only way to snap her out of it." He could cope with her anger, he could cope with her being so rage filled that she lashed out and called him names and swore worse than any man he'd known – her sadness, her cold, dead eyes were not something he could face, the sight made him want to gag, "this reprieve will not last and I know I must choose, I just can not face hurting her again."

"You want Maria then. You have wanted her from the start, Altaïr; I can not understand why you had to have Azurelle as well when you had already chosen one! Why would you even ask even ask Azurelle to do such a thing? You degraded her to nothing but your own personal whore!" he went to argue put Malik silenced him, "I am talking, shut up or you are going swimming! Simply because you can…do you get some sort of thrill from being able to command someone who will not say no? Is this a game to you – to see how far you can stretch her before she breaks? I think you have proven that she breaks quite easily!" he could lecture the man all day but he knew Altaïr had understood what he had done the moment he laid eyes on the girl earlier. He knew that image would haunt the hazel eyed man for the rest of his life. "I am sick of having to break up fights between Maria and Nazeera; I do not want to have to restrain a girl who barely reaches my neck in height because she is trying to kick someone's teeth in."

"I will do it now." Altaïr stood heavily to his feet, "surely it is better to do it now than make her upset after she has calmed down…"

00

He would go to Maria first; he had not seen her since before he'd gone to Azurelle. He found her in her room – packing. She was leaving? Alarmed at the sight, Altaïr marched into the room and stopped her from putting anything more into her pack, "what are you doing?"

Maria was taken aback by the tremor of fear in the man's voice that matched his expression, she tried to pull her wrist from his too tight grip and failed when this seemed to scare the man more, "Maria? Why are you packing your things?"

"Relax, I'm not leaving you again!" this did nothing to reassure him and she saw him trying to think of ways to stop her from abandoning him again, "Altaïr, listen to me. Bosque has asked me to help him oversee the take over of Jerusalem, no one who knows me as your ally is alive and as far as everyone there is concerned I have knowledge of where Assassins would hide in a city like that…it will take two months at the most – he has valuable information that can't be passed on by pigeon or messenger, I would be perfect to take what he has learnt and bring it back…" he didn't fully believe her and she sighed in exasperation, "I will come back, this is not the sort of journey I can take our son and he will be staying here."

That seemed to calm the Assassin the tiniest bits, surely she would not abandon her child and the reason for her journey seemed legitimate. So far Bosque had sent many letters in all forms of disguises to the fortress – detailed reports of what was going on, how some people had been executed for their association with the Brotherhood. The Templers frustration at being unable to find a single Assassin in the city as even the bureau still remained unfound. "He can manage without you, Maria…why are you really going? Why are you leaving me – leaving your child? What purpose does it have?" his arms snaked around her body and she allowed him to hold her in a possessive grip. Was he really so frightened she would not come back? "Hannan barely knows me; he will not be content without you here, Maria! _I_ will not be content!"

In truth she had been thinking about what Malik's nasty little woman had said to her, it would be better if she went away, just until after Azurelle had given birth, she could come back when the girl didn't need Altaïr so much and she would not feel so frightened to ask the Assassin for help for fear of causing a rift between herself and the man.

The girl needed him more than anyone right now and the improvement – violence was surely better than continuous sobbing and misery – Azurelle's fire had seemed to be burning again just because Altaïr had been there. Maria remembered wanting the man so desperately to be there when she was carrying Hannan, she would pray that he would just find her and she wouldn't feel so scared of what was to come, she had had people around her, friends and people with experience but she had wanted the father of her baby to be there and tell her it would be alright. It would pain her to leave her baby here but Altaïr would care for him better than anyone, she trusted him with the life of their baby and knew Hannan would come to no harm under the Assassin's watchful gaze.

"It is very hard to be with you when another needs you so much, I'm a woman, Altaïr and I will get jealous every time she is near you. Now I can make myself useful in Jerusalem and Bosque was the one who let me stay at his residence while I carried Hannan. I would like to repay him somehow and this seems ideal – I get to relive some of my glory days, the Brotherhood gets valuable knowledge, Azurelle will not have to suffer like she has because of my presence, Nazeera will be able to preen and you will not feel hindered when the girl needs you. Oh, and you will have plenty of opportunity to bond with your first child." She returned his embrace and kissed him chastely, "I love you. And I swear I will never throw your heart away again. I will not abandon my baby and it will be agony being away but I need to do this."

So that was it, "you are doing this for Azurelle."

"she helped me see how wrong I was to hurt you and if I can help by not being here for a few months then that is what I will do – but if Malik's bitch asks, I was forced away because of duty." He chuckled, how did he know Maria and Nazeera would not get along? "So let me go and I _will_ return…just think, while I'm bashing skulls you will be cleaning up baby sick!"

00

"So I wrote down everything I could remember about the last few months of my pregnancy, nosebleeds, cramps, fatigue, more morning sickness and there may be a good thing or two but you'll have to look hard!" The girl gave a small smile and hugged the diary Maria had made for her close to her chest.

Azurelle felt awkward sitting with the woman, her anger had abated as guilt had ebbed in at the older woman's presence, "thank you…say hello to Friedrich for me, I miss our strange little meetings." Maria had to go away; she was going on a mission of sorts and the brunette held some admiration for her bravery. "Be safe…and I'll check on Hannan everyday!" she would say her goodbyes now for she knew she would be in a deep sleep by the time Maria left in the morning, the midwife had been mixing something vile looking to help her rest and she'd soon have to swallow the concoction.

"That will make me feel better and I'm sure Friedrich will be delighted to hear from you." She made to leave and turned at the last moment, "I never expected we'd become friends…I thank you for all the help you have given me, I hope you will have an easy birth." Azurelle smiled through her grimace; that had felt like a knife through her. She still felt great sorrow that she had gone behind her back, no amount of anger could erase what a wicked person she was – if only Maria knew.

"M-Maria!" the dark haired woman glanced over her shoulder, "tell Altaïr that if he even _thinks _about coming in here I will cut his throat and feed him in pieces to the pigeons."

Maria turned her head to the left as she was in the doorway, "did you hear that, Assassin?" he was stood just outside the door to the side, "she told you to bugger off."

000

I drew a picture of Nazeera and Azurelle today in modern clothing. It was fun.

Ta ra!


	25. Chapter 25

Edited 8/9/10

Sometimes, just sometimes Altaïr hated Malik so very much; especially when he found himself face down in the dirt with said man's foot planted on his back making it impossible to get up. They had been sparring for a good hour in the hot sun; the little ring outside the fortress doors had become surrounded by other Assassins who were trying to guess who would win. Many had voted in Altaïr's favour, the fight too vicious and hectic to allow Malik and concessions for the lack of an arm – they had chosen to fight with swords though. Some of the gathered crowd grinned because they knew Altaïr would be in the position he currently found himself in.

"See, _I told you_! Master Malik can never be beaten if he has a sword in his hand!" Nikil's eyes had lit up in excitement as the fight had progressed, Azurelle smiled at his enthusiasm and she realised she'd missed the boy's company the last month or so as she sulked in her room, gradually coming to terms with what she had done and that Altaïr really did deserve to be eating dirt right now.

"You prefer Malik then?"

"Well…they are both the best I've ever seen…but…I don't know he is…"

"Just cooler?"

"I guess so. He's just always so…he is simply – he's just better that's all!" the thirteen year old pursed his lips. Why did this woman always ask such silly questions! He could admire who ever he wanted! He felt her hand ruffle his hair again and he couldn't help but blush – secretly he enjoyed the attention she gave him. His father was always so busy with missions and his mother was almost a stranger to him now, he missed her greatly and wondered if things would be different if he were not a novice.

Azurelle watched Malik haul his friend up with a smug grin, it was obvious they were done with their play and probably wanted to clean their wounds and rest. "I always thought Malik was better too, don't tell anyone though!" he gave her look as if to say, 'since when did I gossip!' "Come on grumpy hood, you have practice soon! I'm not making you – o…Ow…" the brunette winced painfully and her hands shot to her stomach.

"Did he kick you again?" Nikil hopped off the fence he'd been sat on and went to her side, "…are you alright?" worried by her pained breathing the boy wondered if he should get someone. "…Azurelle?"

"I-I'm fine…that just really hurt…maybe he rolled?" maybe it would be better if she sat down? She went back into the building, Nikil following closely behind in case anything untoward happened. Halfway down a hall if happened again and she nearly screamed at the intensity, it lasted barely any time at all though, she leant against the wall and panted as the sensation passed. Nikil decided he didn't want to hang around and find out what was hurting her, telling her not to move from that spot he jogged away in search of a healer to bring back.

He turned a corner and ran into someone; he really had to work on his stopping skills! He recovered quickly and looked to see who he had hit – he blanched when he looked at Malik. That was now both masters he'd embarrassed himself in front of.

"Sorry! I-I wasn't looking! Don't be angry at me I need to find a healer first!" if the earth would open up and swallow him now, he would be eternally grateful!

Malik studied the boy, he remembered this one, he had nearly launched himself off a cliff and was often near the training ring. "A healer for who?" he could see the boy was not hurt – he looked mortified that he'd run into someone but he was not harmed. Now who was this boy usually with…Malik's eyes snapped wider, "what has happened to Azurelle?"

"_What_?" behind him stood Altaïr, the boy had not even noticed him until he'd spoken, he pushed past Malik, "where is she?" Nikil pointed to where he had come from, "go find that miserable old midwife and have her come to Azurelle's room."

"y-yes, master!" in all honesty, Nikil was frightened of the Assassin's intensity and this made him run faster than he ever thought possible – why was he always being yelled at for something or other?

Both men found the brunette stood in a hallway looking a little befuddled and neither could see a problem. "I'm fine! Don't go mad! There's nothing to worry about! Just a – " it happened again only this time she found a body to hang onto and soothing words in her ear, "it's too early!" she growled angrily as it passed again, "what is going on?"

"Calm down." Malik rested his hand on her shoulder; he glanced at Altaïr to let him know that he was also being spoken to, "if you worry it will become worse…what are you doing wandering around on your own?"

"Watching you kick Altaïr into the dirt." The man grumbled unhappily as Malik smirked, "then this pain began and I wanted to go back to my room, Nikil panicked before I could tell him I was alright and he told me not to move." Azurelle went with them eagerly, she wanted nothing more than to sit down, "where's Nazeera?"

Malik gave her a glance, Nazeera had said she would look in on the girl earlier, she must have still been in bed, "she is unwell, I would put a large bet on her being asleep – I think she ate something she should not have."

00

"False labour? Are you sure?" Altaïr stood over the midwife, his arms crossed over his chest and his expression tense. He was not pleased with the woman, she had taken her sweet time to appear, she didn't even seem to be in a rush and she had taken one look at Azurelle and told them the problem. "All you have done is looked!"

"When did you become an expert on pregnancy? How many babies have you delivered? Do you know the labour process at all?" Malik and Azurelle looked at each other with great amusement as the woman squared up to the man. Altaïr was taken aback, he didn't have a single answer for the woman much to his chagrin, "I _thought _so. I have delivered more babies than you have had kills! So shut up and leave me to do my job." She turned to Azurelle and she could not help but try to hide behind the older Assassin, "your body is preparing itself for when it is time – you are in your eighth month after all. This might happen every now and then but until they get closer together, longer and more painful – I don't care." Before she left she gave Altaïr another disapproving glare, "come to me when there's a _foot _sticking out or something!"

The room was silent until the woman's echoing footsteps had vanished completely. Malik stood with the excuse of checking on his wife, he earned a huff as he ruffled the girl's hair and vanished with a still satisfied smirk in Altaïr's direction. The brunette hissed again, she hope the older woman was correct when she said it would not last long, hands smoothed across her belly and she couldn't help but be pleased by the still annoyed look on his face, "one more month…I've already thought of a few things to teach the little novices and I've also been thinking of names – you are a _brat_!" Altaïr had been only half listening to her, his attention was solely on pressing down against her skin and waiting for the nudge he would inevitably receive from within. "I'm talking to you!"

"I was listening, what have you thought of?" he received the nudge he expected and pressed down on another spot, "no more 'A' names."

"Irfan, Tarek and Shahin. I like Shahin more…Altaïr! Leave him alone!" was he trying to drive her mad, he had done this to her since he'd discovered that if he pressed down on her stomach a kick would follow in the same place. "I am still annoyed with you for being a jerk." He had been better over the last month; he had controlled himself and not touched her in anyway short of brotherly affection. There were many times he had wanted to kiss her and he had struggled – the image of her just a month ago and the fact that Maria was trusting him kept him strong. Even now he could still see the traces of sleepless nights and distant sadness in her eyes, "you can play with him later and you're filthy from being pushed around." A crash sounded from the end of the hall and they both looked up, "…do you think she threw something at him?"

0

"Malik?" Nazeera ran over to the man who had fallen backwards into a bookcase. "Are you alright? You stupid man!" she rubbed her hand along the back of his head where he'd clunked it on the wood, "I only said it was possible…you moron." He looked at her with irritation, he had not meant to trip over his own feet and her news had shocked him to the core.

He sat up and tugged the woman closer, hugging her tightly against him and let a goofy grin split his face. A knock came through the door and then opened. "We heard the crash and wondered what you had done now." Azurelle looked around from behind Altaïr and rose an eyebrow, with Nazeera practically straddling Malik and arms wrapped around one another she assumed they were being a little too rough with each other. Malik looked at Nazeera and muttered something into her ear, she grinned back and nodded.

Looking at them both, especially at the other Assassin Malik announced their news, "we are pregnant!" Azurelle squealed excitedly and Nazeera jumped up to join her, hugging awkwardly due to the large size of Azurelle's belly. Malik watched Altaïr's face remain blank, the man desperately wanted to swear but he simply nodded as if he'd been sentenced to death and congratulated them quietly. He had barely dealt with Azurelle's mood swings – this was going to be worse. "Is it not exciting, Altaïr?"

"_I hate you_." He mouthed, "_So much_."

00

_Altaïr,_

_A false labour? Who was more frightened her or you?_

_I am glad to hear she is better…I hope things continue to go well._

_How is my Hannan?_

_Today we found the Jerusalem bureau, nothing of importance was found,_

_Only a book full of false information that was planted._

_It will not be long now until I am finished here and will return._

_Maria._

Hannan yawned tiredly in Altaïr's arms as he read the note before slipping it into his pouch, he would put it away with the others when he was done here. The baby seemed happier with him now, he didn't whine or call for his mother as he did when Altaïr had first held him and he had been frozen in shock when the boy had called him 'Baba' earlier in the day. To actually be called father by his child was amazing and he had felt a lump in his throat – he would not admit that he had become emotional over a single word to anyone or himself. Briefly, the Assassin wondered if they could have a third crib brought into the room for Malik and Nazeera's child. The room was large and there was plenty of space but would it be too much to have three babies in one room? What if they were twins?

"Do you think a third crib will fit?"

"I was just thinking that myself." The bundle in his arms wiggled at her voice and Altaïr was forced to turn his body so his son could see her.

"Hello, Hannan! Aww, you look so sleepy." She took his tiny feet gently and wriggled his toes, "who's keeping you awake?"

"Baba!" Azurelle blinked and looked at the man, by the look on his face she had heard correctly and there were now two words the baby could say.

Altaïr put him down in his crib and watched the baby yawn again, his podgy little hands grasping for a stuffed toy he favoured. "Maria will be furious when she hears his new favourite word – unless he forgets it upon seeing her again." Azurelle's arm came around his waist and she rested her head against his shoulder, "I was thinking about the names you picked out…did you not think of any girl's names at all?" she shook her head against him, they were both so certain it would be a boy she didn't bother to even consider it a girl at all. He leaned down to kiss her head but frowned when his lips came into contact with her skin, "you are hot."

"I haven't really been feeling very well lately," Azurelle dragged herself from his side and ran her fingers over the wood of the empty crib they would use for their son; would he look like his father? Or maybe more like her? She so desperately wanted to know, "…the midwife said it was nothing to be worried about." He moved beside her and followed her glance to the empty bedding, "I think I like Shahin the best…what do you think?"

"It is a good name…for a boy."

Was he _trying_ to put doubt in her mind? What an annoying man!"I am not changing my name choice now – if he is a she – she'll have to be a very manly girl!" she felt him prod at her bump and sighed when a reply prod came from inside, sighing in defeat she just knew it was a boy – a girl would not be so irritating as her father!

000

Yes, I skipped a month! So what! Right my gorgeous peoples! Two more chapters…then that is it. The end, no more, finito!

So she is still a little peeved at him but she loves him far too much to hate him.


	26. Chapter 26

Edited 8/9/10

"How did you survive this feeling?" Nazeera laid miserably in her bed wishing she was dead, "I want to die!" she wailed into her pillow and hid beneath it. Azurelle shook her head at the older woman's behaviour, was she this bad when she had morning sickness? It was not overly fun to hold her long black hair back while she was sick, but Nazeera had done it for her plenty of times; they both looked up as the door opened and Malik peeked around the door, he blocked being hit by a shoe with the door and muttered to himself, "I don't care what you forgot! I do not like you anymore! I am never ever ever having sex with you again, you no good scummy…I hate you!"

"That is all well and good but I really need a book, I am sorry you are not well…though it is not entirely my fault." Azurelle gave him an exasperated look as his head stuck through into the room, he was not saying the correct things and he would only make her angry at this rate, "…it will only last for a few months." There was a noise from the bed and Nazeera sat up glaring at him with all her might, her lips in a tight line. "Point taken." He shut the door and retreated without his desired book.

Azurelle made her way to the bed side and sat heavily, really, could her stomach grow any larger? She missed her feet! She didn't like being the size of a cow either. The older woman regarded her with a hint of worry; Azurelle's cheeks were rosy and her eyes glassy. Her poor little sister had had a mild fever since the middle of her eighth month and now that she was due at any time it caused concern for everyone – it would not help her to be ill now.

Pulling the girl into a gentle hug, Nazeera frowned unhappily, "how do you feel?"

"I'm scared, I want more time to prepare…I feel terrible, heavy and sluggish. I have barely any energy at all and I'm really nervous about the whole thing! What if something goes wrong? Or I mess up somehow?" she had spoken to the midwife and the woman had told her that she would be fine, it was a large baby compared to her petite size but she would do just fine. Reading through the little diary Maria had left was barely any help – Maria was strong and brave, her birth sounded so quick and easy. And Altaïr was doing his best to ease her fears but he didn't know what to expect, he was just as anxious and if she was honest, he wasn't the best kind of person to calm people – killing he could do, scared girls – not so much. "This fever isn't helping either…where has it come from?"

"I don't know, sweetheart. You haven't exactly had a fantastic time with this pregnancy…one minute you're pregnant, then you're not, then you are again, you are on and off with Altaïr, then there was Maria showing up and the thing with Altaïr…"

"I will never forgive myself for doing that – it was weak and stupid and I thought I was better than that!" she pursed her lips, "and Altaïr is a fool for asking me to do it in the first place!" laying down next to her sister, Azurelle smiled as a few thoughts ran through her head. "Hey, Nazeera…thank you." Nazeera turned her head, what was going on? The girl turned on her side and ran her fingers through her older sister's hair, "you have always been here for me…no matter what, you have always been with me and I've never told you how grateful I am – you have been my mother, my sister and my best friend." She heard Nazeera sniffle as her arms wrapped tight around her, "and you are going to be an amazing aunt to my baby and I bet you will be the best mother."

00

Nikil looked at the book in amazement, he had never seen so many different ways to climb a wall and this was only the basic stuff! He looked at Azurelle with a pleased grin, "how did you do all this?"

"My sister and I compiled it, Malik and Altaïr put it in an easy way to understand in this book. It is a thank you for trying to help Hannan that day in the garden and for everything you have done for me – to be honest, I think you have the perfect body type for these methods. You're a little too old to be part of my lessons when I start."

"This is…it's amazing!" he exclaimed he went to hug her but wasn't sure how to get to her around the bump; she giggled at his problem and simply ruffled his hair. "I have some free time, I'm going to try some of these right away!" the young novice ran from her, his face excited instead of his usual frown and he looked like the young boy he was for once.

A chuckle came from her left; she didn't even have to look to see it was the Dai by her side. "He seems pleased with it, unless it was just a gift from you he was seeking." She shrugged beside him, either way the boy was happy and Azurelle could test to see if her future lessons would help the Brotherhood. "He is very fond of you Azurelle; Nikil is such a solemn boy sometimes."

"He's just very serious! I think he'll make a good Assassin, he has a lot of heart…he just needs to learn how to stop before he hits or runs off something." She turned to Malik and pulled his sleeve, "why aren't you working?"

"well you see, I got a very difficult woman pregnant and she has become a nightmare in the mornings, foolishly I left some important documents in the room and she will not let me in to get it – therefore I can do now work."

"You're skiving then."

"Yes. Shall we go for a walk?" she laughed at his smug look, he needed a break occasionally and he seemed glad to have a reason to get out of the study – let Altaïr gruel over a desk for once. They set to wandering about the fortress, Malik showing the girl some of the places she hadn't been to yet and letting her ramble on. She was midway through a sentence when she stopped still and let out a hiss, "are you alright?" she nodded after a minute, complaining that it was just a restless baby and they carried on, the man giving her wary glances every now and then.

Azurelle nudged him gently against his side, "remember when I was ten and I asked if you were Nazeera's boyfriend?"

He nodded, a smile making its way onto his face, "you said that if I ever made her cry, you would make me pay. I think I laughed at you and you saw fit to kick me in the shin." They laughed at that memory, it was a long time ago but the man swore he could still feel the pain in his leg, "you were a terrible little girl, but Kadar loved you – if I so much as frowned in your direction he would give me so much trouble."

She missed Malik's younger brother, he was always nice to her and no one bothered her when he was around, "he told me that if I didn't do as Nazeera said, bugs would crawl into my bed at night…I had nightmares for years. But that is not what I wanted to talk about – my threat still stands, I might look small but I have a mean punch." She shook her fist in his direction. To the Assassin it was almost as frightening as being faced with a newborn kitten, "ha, uncle Malik is going to become baba Malik!"

Malik slowed to a stop, his face creasing as his brain processed his thoughts, "…crap. Altaïr's son is my nephew."

00

Altaïr yawned as he sat by his bed side with his little acrobat, her fever had gotten worse and the girl was feeling so drained that it was suggested that she stay in bed. During the last few weeks she had come to his room more often, struggling to sleep in her own bed and without a warm body beside her for comfort, the only touch she allowed him was simply to hold her. Most of the time he lay behind her with his hand stroking softly over her belly and they talked quietly until one of them, usually her, fell asleep. In the last couple of days she'd been struggling to keep her strength up, she had been walking around the fortress with Malik when she suddenly felt faint and the older Assassin forced her to see the midwife. The woman had said it would be bed rest from now on in case she became worse but she still didn't feel it was a danger – any day now she would give birth and she would feel better.

"Altaïr…I-it's getting worse." Her voice sounded pained and he could see it clearly in her face, "it usually stops by now." She was complaining of the contractions she'd been suffering from for the last few weeks. Only these had gotten longer, were coming steadily and were stronger with each one, they had begun earlier in the day and she had managed to sleep through them until now. "I don't think this is pretend…"

He stood up and looked around the room helplessly, what was he supposed to do? "Do not move, I will fetch that annoying woman…" he didn't want to leave her alone but he had little choice when everyone else was asleep. Promising to return quickly, Altaïr dropped a kiss to her head and left the room swiftly. She sat up uncomfortably as she was hit by another wave of pain, how had she slept through these? She hoped this would be as bad as the pain would get, maybe this would be incredibly easy?

0

Nazeera was wrapped up in Malik's black robe as she rushed down to the healing rooms, her sister was finally going into labour and she had to be there to support the girl. Malik had said he would keep an ear out for Hannan as Altaïr was already with Azurelle and no one else would be there if the baby woke up. It must have been just past midnight, what a horrible time for the baby to decide he wanted to be born; couldn't he have waited a few hours until morning? A shout came from the room she was heading for and Nazeera's heart leapt causing her to run hurriedly toward the lit room. When she arrived, Azurelle looked terrified, "calm down!" came the midwife's voice, "it was just your waters breaking – nothing to get excited about!" she turned to Altaïr and the man looked down at her calmly, "out. This is not something you can help with, it would be best to go about your tasks and wait for news of the child's arrival."

"You want me to leave?"

"I have never had a man in this room when a baby is being born – now wait outside like all the others before you." He was hesitant to let go of Azurelle's hand, she had held onto him the entire way here and looking down into her desperate grey eyes he did not want to leave her to do this alone. "Oh please, here is her sister! This is women's work – out!"

Nazeera took his place beside the girl and she smiled at him, she told him everything would be fine and that this was not something Azurelle would want him to witness. But Azurelle looked so frightened – how could he leave her like this, he had promised to stay with her!

She gave him a pained smile as another contraction hit, "I-I'll be fine…how hard can it be?"

00

By early morning he had had no news, Azurelle was _still _in labour, he had thought distracting himself with work would help him relax but every passing second had him worried and he was already so anxious. He wasn't even the one giving birth! Why was he going slowly mad as time passed? Was she coping well? Was she in a lot of pain? How long until he could have his child in his arms? "Relax, Altaïr, there is nothing you can do!"

"Malik, it has been hours! An entire night! Should it really take this long?" he continued his pacing up and down. Occasionally staring at his young son playing on the rug, the boy had been no trouble at all, usually he demanded attention or tried to crawl off down the halls but he seemed to sense his father's mood and behaved. Altaïr bent down and picked him up, he had not given the poor baby any attention since Azurelle had started her labour, "were you so much trouble when you came into the world?" the baby seemed to ignore him in favour of looking over his shoulder.

"Mama!" Altaïr and Malik looked to the doorway, when had the woman become so good at sneaking around. Maria smiled tiredly from the entrance, her clothing was dusty from her ride home, she looked exhausted and he knew she must have been, it was a long ride from Jerusalem but she seemed thrilled to see her precious son again; Altaïr handed the overly excited baby over to his mother and heaved a sigh of relief – she had come back to him. As she stroked the baby's head, the Assassin noticed a clean white bandage around her hand.

"Cut myself while putting my horse away…I have just come from the healing rooms actually. Azurelle seems to be struggling." She watched as Altaïr's face winced in concern and he began his pacing once again, "she is exhausted and it sounds like she's ready to give up." Malik scoffed from the desk, why was she telling him this? Was she trying to wind Altaïr up? Just as he was about to open his mouth and tell her to be quiet; her next sentence stunned him into silence. "I think you should go to her, she needs you more than you think and you always seem to soothe her with your presence – I doubt the midwife will give you trouble as she's willing to try anything now."

Altaïr looked at her, his mouth ajar slightly in wonder – Maria wanted him to ignore her and go to the brunette? He had never really pegged the ex Templer as such a soft soul, "…Maria?"

"Bugger off, Altaïr." She snapped, "Don't question me just go to her! She's in so much agony a distraction would do her good!" Altaïr pulled her to him and kissed her mouth, careful not to crush his son in the process before running out and leaving Malik to stare bewildered at the English woman. What had just happened?

0

It had come to the point where Azurelle felt she could no longer push, she had been told to over and over again but nothing seemed to be happening! Was he too big for her to push out? Or maybe Nakim's wife had been right – she wasn't made to have babies. Nazeera encouraged her as much as she could but the older woman was tired, her stomach churned with nausea and she didn't want to see her sister in so much pain. The midwife looked more than annoyed, she was not blaming Azurelle for the problem but the girl had gotten it into her head that this was all her fault and this seemed to intensify the pain she felt. Azurelle was frightened, she was exhausted and no matter what she did it seemed like her baby wouldn't budge! There was nothing she could be given for her pain that would not hinder her further.

"Come on, you can do this, you are doing so well and I know it hurts but you are strong." Nazeera could only offer encouraging words to help, "just think, a little longer and he'll be in your arms – no more barriers between you, skin to skin with your baby…just a little longer."

"just rest for a moment, sometimes your body just needs to catch up, there is no danger to your baby." the midwife told one of the other women to get the girl some water and then sighed, she hated these long births and it did not help when the girl was so young! When would they learn to use precautions? Why did Assassin's always choose such dainty girls to impregnate with their big babies? "…Altaïr, I told you to – " the man passed her, pretending not to hear her warning and went to the brunette, he stroked her sweat dampened hair back from her flushed face and she opened her eyes in surprise when large hands touched her – too big to be a woman's touch.

She visibly brightened, reaching shaky hands to grip into his robes, "is he being stubborn? Like his mother?" she breathed out a little laugh at his comment and nodded, "since when did you back down from a bossy male? I have heard you are doing so well, this will soon be over and you will be able to see your feet again." She nodded again and relaxed a little as he rubbed her stomach in soothing circles.

Upon witnessing Azurelle's confidence slowly returning, the midwife decided to let him stay – she would make this one exception.

Nazeera held her sister's hand firmly, relieved that the girl seemed better, her fever had not helped during the entire situation but with the Assassin's arrival things were looking up. Altaïr rubbed the tension from her lower back; his lips resting on her head when he wasn't talking to her and his free hand constantly stroked her cheek or moved hair from her face. She cried out painfully as her contractions returned vengefully and she was ordered to push again – this time with better results. Had she just been too anxious and frightened before? The older sister felt her hand go numb as it was squeezed painfully hard with each push; she did not envy Altaïr's robes as she heard the material rip in the acrobat's grip.

After what seemed like an eternity one of the assistants announced that she could see the baby's head – it was almost over. Azurelle hid her face in the crook of Altaïr's should as she felt a horrible burning, tearing sensation, she felt as if she would rip in two and almost screamed. Everything seemed to slow down for her once a different cry was heard, peeking out from the Assassin's shoulder she watched as the women fussed about before she caught a glimpse of the baby – _her baby_. The brunette looked up at Altaïr's face and she saw a crooked smile break across his face, his hazel eyes looking with disbelief before glancing down at her matching expression, he couldn't help himself as he leant down and kissed her lips again and again, she was too happy to protest. Nazeera grabbed her attention and they shared a pleased look with each other, "well done, you have a very healthy – "

The midwife cut herself off and handed the now clean and wrapped baby to one of the assistants, her eyes suddenly hard as she began ordering the others around, "what is it? What's wrong?" Azurelle tried to sit up further and the woman yelled at her not to move.

"You've been torn! You will be fine just do not move."

Azurelle whined, she wanted her baby; she wanted to hold her baby! Nazeera shushed her as she noticed the girl begin to panic, mistaking it as fear when all the girl wanted was the strange woman holding the little bundle in her hands to give her her baby! "Altaïr!" he'd understand, he wouldn't think her frightened like Nazeera did, and he would get her baby for her. "I want to hold him!" he looked at her with a tinge of worry in his features, the midwife wanted her to lay down and remain still but she fought against his hands as he tried to push her down on the bed.

"I know, let them help you first! I promise you will be the first to hold him but you must do as you are told." His ears picked up the older woman telling one of her assistants to fetch a doctor immediately before the girl bled to death. The Assassin's head snapped to look at the woman with wide eyes and she sent him a pleading look back – asking for his silence on the matter. Turning back to Azurelle he gave her a tight smile, "he will be in your arms soon."

"I feel dizzy, Altaïr…what's – what's happening?" she took a few deep breaths as she began to feel sick, it must have been exhaustion, she thought. Exhaustion from the long labour and her fever was making her vision hazy around the edges, she looked around the room for the woman holding her child, unable to focus she whimpered miserably, "I want my baby…"

000

Ta Da!


	27. Chapter 27

Edited 8/9/10

"He's got my freckles!" Azurelle held her son close to her as she finally had a chance to look at him, "I can't believe he's real…" Nazeera sat on the bed with her and leant over to stroke the newborn's cheek, Malik stood close by simply enjoying the moment, he was relieved that all had gone well despite the small hiccup. As promised, Altaïr had waited for the girl to regain consciousness before letting anyone else hold the baby, he sat patiently on her other side, fingers twitching – wanting to hold his new son.

They were intruded upon by the woman who had delivered the boy, "You must rest for the next few days, nothing strenuous at all!" the midwife warned after she'd spoken with the doctor, "he is a very healthy seven pounds, how you hefted him around is beyond me!"

Azurelle nodded dumbly, how did she carry him around all day? She saw that the woman was tired and used the weakness to ask, "Do I have to stay down here?"

"…you would be more comfortable in your own room…a few hours down here and you can move but after that you must stay in bed." The woman smiled lightly, the girl wasn't listening, she was far too interested in the baby. Too tired to be angry the woman retired back to her bed for some well deserved rest.

Azurelle turned to Altaïr and smiled sheepishly, he had been waiting so patiently to hold their son and she was keeping him all to herself. She lifted the baby slightly and Altaïr took him as if he were handling something so very fragile, his son was sleeping, eyelashes resting gently over the barely freckled cheeks, his hair was fine and the darker brown of his hair as opposed to Azurelle's lighter shade and he was healthy. No adverse effects from the almost miscarriage months ago, no illness or weakness because of Azurelle's persisting fever – what a troublesome child.

Malik peered down at the baby over Altaïr's shoulder before commenting, "All this trouble because of this tiny thing? I have seen bigger books!"

"I know." Altaïr agreed, "She made all that fuss over something so small…just wanted attention." Azurelle dropped her jaw, how dare they say such a thing! They should try it if they thought it was so easy! She shook her head and pursed her lips, they were fools! Nazeera pinched her arm to distract her from the idiots.

"Men know absolutely nothing! How do you feel though? I personally, am exhausted from watching you!"

"I want to sleep for a thousand years!" she exclaimed and then lowered her voice, cheeks turning pink, "everything hurts! Especially certain places, even if I weren't banished to bed rest I doubt I'd be up and about." She was dreading having to stand up and walk later, it would be worth it though to be in her own room with her son nearby, "oh…wait, what if he cries? Will I be allowed to get up and go to him?" Turning her head to speak to Altaïr she couldn't help a giggle escaping her, Nazeera followed her eyes and laughed. Altaïr sat, quite proud of himself, watching Malik produce quite possibly the funniest face any of them had ever seen; the older Assassin had somehow found himself with an armful of baby – he looked angry, worried, strangely affectionate and downright terrified all at the same time. "What's wrong, uncle Malik?"

"He is looking at me…" the Dai said with slight panic in his voice, "take him back." He was terrified of dropping the little one and now that he was awake he might wriggle. Altaïr chuckled as he took the boy back and Malik breathed a sigh of relief, "have you thought of a name?"

"Shahin." Azurelle and Altaïr said at once, a whine punctuating the name as the tiny baby moved impatiently and began to cry loudly, "what do I do?" Azurelle asked as the noise rung in her ears.

Malik began retreating to the door, "you feed him, to which I am leaving – some things an uncle does not wish to see."

00

Altaïr shook his head, in the study he and Malik shared was Nakim, Abdul and a bundle of gifts strewn over the desk. "Gifts for your new son and your first son. We thought the outfit was adorable…your Maria thinks we're mean!"

"You think this is bloody adorable?" her voice came from behind Altaïr and he turned to look at the woman and then the child. Hannan had a replica outfit of the Brotherhood's robes on, despite the tone the woman had used she seemed amused, "I left him, in this man's care for a second and my son becomes a – which outfit is this?"

The man's eyes crinkled in wicked glee, "the grey mostly symbolises a novice, it took my wife forever to make." Hannan pulled the tip of his hood and the material slipped down past his eyes causing him to squeal unhappily, Altaïr pulled the hood back and rolled his eyes at the boy's tearless crying. "She made one for the new arrival, I told her you had plenty for the two but you know my wife! And Abdul's sister joined in too!"

"It was very kind of them, I see you have some very girlie colours mixed in too." Maria rested Hannan on her hip, her left hand sifting through the various gifts, "just in case he was a she?"

"Maybe master Malik will have a girl?" Abdul said quietly before addressing Altaïr, "did all go well? Is Azurelle alright?"

"Everything is well. Thank your sister for me and Nakim – ask your wife if she can make little Assassin boots for him." He snatched the baby from her and lifted him in the air to better look at the little outfit.

Maria threw an exasperated look his way, "Altaïr!" she reached for Hannan and then a sour look made its way onto her face, "did he just call you baba?" the Assassin nodded and let her take him, "you little traitor! And I thought you only loved me, I'm hurt little one."

"Well, I need to teach this novice how to handle a short sword. Safety and peace."

"Safety and peace, my brothers," he retreated to the high-backed chair in the corner and sat heavily once they were gone, Maria put Hannan on his knee and sat on the arm of the chair. "Have you rested? It must have been a long journey here…if you need me to watch him for a while…"

"I have bathed and had a short nap, I am fine, Altaïr but you look tired! You should rest now that all is well. Your baby is healthy and Azurelle is – "

"She nearly bled to death; she was unconscious for hours and has only just come to." He felt the woman's hands begin to rub the tension from his shoulders, a groan fell from his lips and he leaned into the touch. "…thank you, Maria. You have been wonderful with Azurelle…"

"I tried to hate her…she's a crafty little thing and I found it impossible! I know there was nothing truly serious between you two, I was wrong to get so angry…besides, she is the mother of Hannan's little brother." She found a particular knot and worked it with her fingers, "I knew she would get on better if you were there" Altaïr felt a pang of guilt wash over him, Maria trusted him and he did not fully deserve it and his son staring up at him blithely made him feel worse. "What does he look like? What did he weigh?"

He glanced up at her, her eyes holding genuine interest, "seven pounds." She winced, Hannan had only been five pounds after birth and she had thought that had been painful, "his eyes are too dark to see the colour, freckles – poor boy. Otherwise he just looks like a wrinkly, red thing." She laughed at the description, men never understood that all babies were wrinkly red things at first; they always looked so disappointed when looking at them, "was this one so ugly when he was born?"

"Altaïr! You can't say that! Give him a day or so and he won't look like that!"

"You should go down and see her."

"…Nazeera will be there and I know she will not appreciate my presence."

"Azurelle will appreciate it – she seems to like you." He took hold of her hand on his shoulder, giving her something close to a pleading look, "at least see her when she moves back to her room." She heaved a sigh and nodded reluctantly.

00

**Fourteen years ago**

Nazeera frowned; her little sister was doing it again! Every time Azurelle had dance practice she whined and cried, the four year old was complaining over practice again. Gyani's wife, Rani, was trying to placate the girl but was having very little luck, "oh, my darling! What is wrong now…don't you want to learn to dance with your sister?"

"No! I want to fly! I want to fly like the boys!" she stamped her foot and kicked off her dance shoes, "I don't like dancing!" Rani ran a hand through her long black hair and shrugged in defeat as Nazeera gave her a questioning glance.

"no more crying, my darling…I will talk to Gyani and see if he will let you try the acrobatics…if he says no you must continue dance lessons." She stroked the short brown hair of the girl and asked her to stop crying.

The next day, Azurelle began training with the boys, it was harder than dance and Gyani was not a soft or forgiving man and the training was difficult – many times she would hurt herself, but it never stopped her. She wanted to fly!

0

**Eleven years ago**

"Stop crying Nikeel! You aren't a baby and Gyani will be angry if you don't learn this new trick!" she dragged the younger boy up by his arm, "get up and be a man!"

The boy continued to cry, his eyes hidden in his arm as he wept loudly, "I want to go home! I miss my sister! I don't want to be a performer!" why would his father sell him off? Why couldn't he go with his sister? This wasn't fair!

"I'm your sister now!" Azurelle huffed angrily, "I'll look after you but you have to stop crying and be a man!" the girl wrapped her arms around him in a firm hug. She always wanted to be like Nazeera – she wanted to be a big sister and look after everyone! She decided that she would be Nikeel's big sister and look after him no matter what. She would look after those she loved, even if it meant she went without some things.

0

**Nine years ago**

The troupe stood over the grave they had buried Rani in; she had died so suddenly that most of them were still in shock. They had never seen Gyani cry over anything, to watch him breakdown over his wife's grave was heartbreaking and they were lost without the woman who had mothered them all. Nazeera hugged Azurelle to her, both leaning against each other as they sobbed brokenly; the woman they had so greatly admired was gone. "There was…there was so much she wanted to do!"

"She wouldn't have wanted us to cry!" Azurelle snivelled sadly; pulling Nikeel into their hug and tried to smile at the twins, "Rani always said…um…" she choked on a sob and tried desperately to remember.

"Live life with no regrets – die being able to say, I have lived with no regrets."

The Troupe looked at Gyani and each nodded at the message, they would remember Rani and know her as the woman with no regrets.

00

**Present**

She sat up gingerly, hissing as her body ached, someone was with her and pushed her pillows up so she could sit comfortably. A cup was handed to her and the brunette drank the contents gratefully before looking at her surroundings. She was in her room, she didn't remember moving herself and guessed that Altaïr must have carried her up as she slept. "Where is Shahin?"

"Asleep in his crib. Is he what you expected?" Maria asked as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"He's perfect! I never thought I'd get him out though!" Azurelle smiled gently at the woman, she was glad Maria had come back as promised and even though she never thought the woman would abandon her baby, the brunette had worried. "Thank you for lending Altaïr to me, I don't know why but just him being there helped – it didn't seem so damn hopeless anymore. Actually thank you for everything, without you it would have been so frightening."

The older woman shook her head, "I did nothing…I just told you the truth instead of exaggerating like most of the women here. If it weren't for you I would have left the day I came and I would not have Altaïr at all."

"If it weren't for me you wouldn't have been angry with Altaïr in the first place!" they stayed silent after that, there was nothing much to say on the subject. Azurelle pulled on her cover absently before deciding to break the silence, "I just had a dream about my past…the day I learnt my first somersault, the day I became a big sister…the day I lost the only woman I loved more than my sister. It was rather strange, maybe it's the fuzziness from the blood I lost? I was actually terrified when my vision got blurry after I had Shahin, I thought I was dying and I was scared for the people I care about…"

"Not for yourself?"

"Not really. I thought who will take care of my sister if I am gone? I don't want her to be alone…I want her to have someone she can talk to – I know she has Malik but he's her husband, Nazeera isn't complete without a sister! And then there was Malik, who will protect him when she gets mad at him? I would miss walking with him, learning many new things from him and to watch them raise their child. I would miss my nephew or niece being born, growing up." She let her eyes wander to the door, "what upset me the most was that I would never get to hold him, my baby was so close to me but I could not have him in my arms, I would miss him growing up, crawling, talking, walking, skimming his knees and the rest…and just before I couldn't stay awake – who's going to punch Altaïr when he's being a dick?"

Maria laughed at the last thought, "you worried for nothing, here you are and you are alive. Maybe you are remembering your past because you have a new future ahead of you? Or you just dreamed for no reason at all."

"I suppose I'm reading too far into it…could you…do you think you could get Shahin for me? I just have this urge to hold him."

It was not Maria who returned with her baby but Nazeera. Maria had to feed Hannan and the older sister volunteered to bring the baby in, Azurelle took him and cradled him in her arms, the boy hardly awake snuggled against her and gave a great yawn. Nazeera smiled fondly at her nephew and her little sister; everything seemed so perfect at this exact moment. "I'm so proud of you." Azurelle smiled at the woman, not knowing what to say and content to watch her son. "Somehow you always turn something hopeless into a little miracle; you always come out on top in the end."

"If it weren't for you I would have died the day I was born – everything I am is thanks to you…with you around I know I won't fail this little one."

Nazeera kissed her forehead, content with their time alone, "We'll raise him together then? You and me – together – until we are grey and old."

0

Malik came by to see her before he went to bed, it was getting late and he'd had a long day. "I will not tell Altaïr that you have been back and forth to the nursery all afternoon if you promise to rest from now on."

"But Malik!" she whined, "Every time I get him someone takes him away again! I have waited nine months for him and I want him with me…"

"You have tomorrow! And the day after that – Azurelle, you have the rest of your life to hold him." He pulled her covers up and tucked her in the best he could before perching on the bed, "you had a scare earlier, I know you want to get up and be a mother but please rest – for me."

She nodded, "anything for you, Malik."

"Good girl." He leant down planting a kiss in her hair, "I will see you in the morning, little sister."

00

**Sixteen months ago – Jerusalem**

Azurelle finished patching up Altaïr's wound, they were hidden in a roof garden and she had been explaining to him how she was helping the Brotherhood along with her sister. She blushed the entire time, he was strong, handsome, he had a voice that carried through her and made her melt. She had never really been attracted to anyone physically before but this Assassin with his fiery eyes and dangerous aura around him made her body heat up in unknown ways! Despite his seemingly cool façade she could see a lingering sadness hidden deep in his eyes – he was a wounded eagle and she wanted to help him. "There we are…you should be alright now, Malik has no reason to yell at you now…um…"

"Altaïr."

Azurelle grinned at him, "I'm Azurelle!"

Altaïr regarded her for a long moment, "that is not a real name."

"Yes…I know." She blushed and looked away sheepishly, "everyone says that."

00

**Present**

"Another one…" Azurelle sat up and put her feet down onto the cold floor, how many dreams of her past was she going to have to endure? She padded over to her little desk in the corner and had just enough light from the half moon light through her window to quill down something on a piece of paper. It was just a phrase floating around in her head and she thought it might be important enough to take note of. Despite the soreness of her body, the girl wanted to look in on Shahin, he might want feeding, or attention and even if he didn't she just wanted to fuss over him. Her door opened silently for her and she slipped into the dark hallway, her toes curling on the cold floor as she moved slowly toward the nursery, her body protesting to the movement. Her night dress hindered her as it insisted on sticking to the skin of her legs. "strange." She muttered and reached down to remove the material.

"You should be in bed." Altaïr's voice distracted her from her task and she straightened up. The Assassin was coming out of the nursery, she could just about make him out in the dim light, "what are you doing out here, Azurelle, it is cold and you need rest." He moved toward her silently and took his night robe off, wrapping it around her small frame. "Why are you out here?"

Azurelle leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his waist, he responded by completing their embrace and she hummed happily, "I just want to check on Shahin, then I will go straight back to bed, I promise." She felt him sigh and for a moment she worried he would make her leave.

"Alright. I can not blame you for that." He sounded exhausted, he had not slept since she had begun labour and during the day he had found himself busy, "I have not thanked you, you have given me so many precious things and not once have I shown my gratitude…if I believed in them I would say you were an angel sent for me. As it stands I am just incredibly fortunate to have met you. You have given me all that you are and more – I will look after you properly from now on, that I promise – I will find a way to thank you."

Azurelle tightened her arms around him, he was so warm and wonderful she never wanted to let go, "you owe me nothing, Altaïr…I have a precious little child, a secure future and I have learnt so much these last few months." She reached up and cupped his cheek, "I have gained a wonderful friend – who I know will always look after me." Altaïr kissed the top of her head before reluctantly letting go of her, "I will be quick. Good night Altaïr."

"…I'll see you in the morning."

She nodded and he left her to make her way into the nursery. With his robe wrapped around her the floor didn't seem so cold. She looked in on Hannan and the baby was just settling back to sleep, no doubt Altaïr had just tended to him, she leaned over the railings and stroked his tummy, "can I ask you something?" he gurgled at her and she took that as a good sign, "will you be a good big brother to Shahin? He's going to need you, because older siblings are very important and I want him to have a good big brother…you'll help him, won't you? No, I know you'll be his best friend…I'm silly for asking." Hannan yawned at her and his eyes drifted shut as he fell asleep. Her own son was looking at her when she leaned over his crib, she picked him up and cradled him so that his head rested upon her shoulder and she could drop kisses along his cheek. "Hello, Shahin."

Azurelle lowered herself into the rocking chair that was in the room, she would have to ask for something to dull the pain in the morning, "you should be sleeping little one." She stroked his hair and back softly as she spoke to him, she told him all about her days with the Troupe, about meeting his father, the time when she had thought Bosque had kidnapped her. As she rocked, Shahin fell asleep, his thumb hanging loosely in his mouth as he slumbered peacefully against his mother, she continued to whisper to him, she told him everything she could think of and then she told him what she would do with him as he grew until eventually she had planned his wedding for him. "you have so many that will love you, uncle Malik, aunt Nazeera, Maria will look after you too I'm sure! And your father will adore you, you will be spoilt…I'll tell you a secret." She murmured against his skin as she watched the dawn begin to break across the Masyaf sky, "no one will ever love you as much as I do – not in a thousand years!" he seemed to wriggle closer to her in his sleep and Azurelle grinned, she was truly happy – happier than she'd been in her whole life. Her eyes drifted shut as fatigue finally won over.

Tomorrow she could start all over again.

00

**Sixteen months ago – Jerusalem**

"Just our own pleasure…no attachments, no real meaning, and we can stop whenever we please." Azurelle repeated Altaïr's ground rules; she understood and accepted every single one. He had her crushed against his body, his mouth sucking gently along her throat, his hands caressing her body sweetly. "Just a fleeting affair."

"You won't regret it." He whispered against her skin, his mouth finding hers and claiming it in a deep kiss that promised an unknown world of delights for the acrobat. She had his strong arms around her and his lips against hers, slanted over hers and dominating her so perfectly was all she thought she could ever want. This dangerous Assassin was hers for now – for a fleeting moment he was hers alone.

00

**Present**

Altaïr stretched languidly as he stood from his bed, the sun had lit the sky but it was still so very early, Maria moaned in her sleep and rolled into the warm patch he'd left in the bed, it was nice to have her by his side again, even if she was not allowing him to become intimate still. He searched for his blue robe around the room, frowning when he could not find it, "where…" his sleep fogged mind provided him with an image of Azurelle, of course, she was wearing it. Dressed only in his sleeping trousers, Altaïr made his way to the nursery; he noticed Azurelle's door was ajar, was she up again? Grumbling under his breathe, the Assassin continued down the hall, his foot slipping on something sticky and mostly dried on the stone floor, looking down his hazel eyes widened in horror – blood.

Dark, almost black blood pooled just outside the nursery, he saw that there were drops starting at the ajar door, Altaïr went back to the door and opened it, the trail led to the bed and he paled at the red sheets, Azurelle was not in her bed. Dreading what he might find he followed the trail back to the nursery door; he stood in front of the wood for a long time – frightened. After a long time he pushed the door open and stepped through the doorway. He could see that Hannan was sound asleep, safely tucked away and that Shahin's crib was empty. Walking in he slowly turned his head to the right, Azurelle appeared to be sleeping. Shahin was rested against her shoulder, his eyes moving under his lids as he dreamed, Azurelle had the most serene expression, a smile, a genuinely happy, contented smile sat on her lips and she looked perfect in the light that streamed from the window. His blue robe was wrapped around her and his son and if not for the blood staining her white night dress he would have thought her to be asleep – he wished she was only asleep.

Creeping over, each step heavier than the last, Altaïr took Shahin from her hands and placed him back in his crib, his knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge tightly, he didn't want to look. Perhaps she was just sleeping, a doctor could be called and she'd be fine! Feeling a lump stick in his throat Altaïr went back to her side, he knelt down on his knees and took her hand into both of his, her little fingers being swallowed by his, "Azurelle…" he whispered, she was not cold, "Azurelle, please…please, wake up." He could feel his throat burning and his eyes stung the longer she remained quiet. Altaïr reached for her face, terrified at the lack of response he knew he would get, he was an Assassin, he had seen and caused death his entire life – so why was this so hard?

His thumb traced her smile with a feather light touch, afraid to make it disappear, "Azurelle!" he said a little louder, he jumped at the sound of his own choked sob, he had never heard the noise before and at first he wondered where the gasping breaths and the barely audible whimpers were coming from. His face was wet; he took his hand from her cheek and felt his own – since when did the Grande Master cry? "Wake up! Please, Azurelle!" he tried to swallow the lump in his throat but it wouldn't budge, his eyes wouldn't stop burning either.

He held her tiny hand again and let his head drop against her knee – sobs wracked through his body so hard it was painful and no matter how much he wanted he couldn't stop. Even when a door creaked open and a curse was let out, Malik was always an early riser, he had seen the blood on the floor and heard the unfamiliar sound from the nursery, it sounded as if someone were choking, someone in great pain and it concerned him. Malik walked through the open door and stopped dead, the noise was Altaïr. The man was crying convulsively, his whole frame shook violently and his voice occasionally broke through – pleading, no – begging for the girl to open her eyes. Somehow he found himself standing over the young Assassin and the smiling girl, his own lamenting for the brunette prevented him from speaking; all he could do was grip the man's shoulder as his own tears sliced down his skin. "M-Malik…she…she will not…" Altaïr could not speak through his tears or the broken noises that escaped his tightened throat.

Kneeling down beside him the Dai leant his head against the others, the man's sobs moving him, making his body tremble against the movements, he whispered, afraid to even breathe it out, "she is gone…"

0

In her room, on the desk; a note sat innocently upon the page of a book with the meanings for a single word –

**Fleeting **

Definition:

brief, transient

Synonyms:

cursory, ephemeral, evanescent, fading, flash in the pan, flitting, flying, fugacious, fugitive, impermanent, meteoric, momentary, passing, short, short-lived, sudden, temporary, transitory, vanishing, volatile

The note she had scribbled the night before still wet,

_It is impossible to live a life without a single regret,_

_But:_

_I'd do it all again with a smile on my lips._

000

**There will be an epilogue chapter up…but for now. The end.**


	28. Chapter 28

Completely revamped! 8/9/10

Epilogue

Boys were stupid! Completely stupid! The little girl watched them from the top of the desk, Hannan and Shahin were rolling around on the floor trying to get the other in a head lock, "you are noisy! Go away and do that elsewhere! I am very busy!" the two boys paused in their rough pay and looked up at her with their matching hazel eyes. They looked so similar to one another, same eyes, same face shape, similar features, Shahin was a little smaller than his older brother and if it were not for the five year olds freckles and slightly darker skin – most people would think they were twins or miniatures of their father. They pouted at the four year old girl, she was sitting up petulantly upon the large desk in their fathers' study, her wavy black hair was bunched up into pigtails, making her little round face and dark eyes seem less impressive as she glared down at them.

Hannan stood up and regarded her curiously, it was never a wise to upset Malik's daughter, "What are you doing Rani?"

"Uncle Malik will not be happy to find you up there!" Shahin rubbed his arm where he'd been punched quite hard by his brother. "Please come down!" there was nothing worse than when his uncle was angry. He watched Hannan stalk over to the side of the desk and tug on the girl's red dress.

"Get down! I am not getting in trouble because of you again!"

"Get off me you stupid novice!" she squealed angrily as he tried to get her off the desk, "I hate you! Get off!" Shahin rushed over and tried to pull Hannan's hands off the little girl before she got angrier, during the struggle a bottle of ink was knocked over and spilled across a map on the desk, "…y-you idiots! Baba's map!"

"My clothing!" Hannan yelled as the black ink spilled over him off the edge of the wood. "Why did you interfere?" he pushed Shahin roughly, "why must you always get in the way! Whether it be training or studies you are such a pain!" he was angry with his little brother, he was so annoying and clumsy! "How will I explain this to mama?"

Shahin frowned, why was it his fault? Hannan was the one that had irritated the girl – Rani sat forlornly and had started to cry as she wiped desperately at the ink to try and get it off, "you tell our mama the truth."

"And get yelled at! You are so stupid…no wonder your real mama left you." Hannan growled angrily and ran from the room to try and save his clothing.

Shahin looked up at Rani, standing on his tip toes to pear over the desk edge at her, "it's alright, Rani…I'm sure things will be fine…" the girl sniffled and reached to pat his head.

"You know he did not mean it, Shahin,"

"What is going on?" Altaïr asked as he entered the room, he'd heard the yelling and come to investigate. Seeing both children in tears, the Assassin inwardly groaned, he didn't have time to deal with them, "I wish you would stay out of here!" Malik walked in behind him and swore at the mess. "I will handle him; you deal with your little princess. Shahin, come with me." The boy wiped his eyes and followed after his father obediently. Malik walked over to his daughter, tears glistened in her eyes as she watched him assess the mess on the desk, the spilt ink, his ruined map and a few paints sat beside her – her dress covered in an array of colours.

"I-I am sorry Baba! I was making it pretty but then Hannan and Shahin were being noisy and Hannan wanted me off the desk and Shahin told him to leave me alone and then Hannan said something mean because he got ink on him!" she said in a single breath, she stood up and reached out her arms for him, "I just wanted to make it nice for you!" the Dai closed his eyes tiredly – this little girl had destroyed a months worth of work and she wanted him to cuddle her and make her feel better. "Baba!" he picked her up against his hip, his one arm supporting her as she clung to him firmly, her little arms around his neck as she still whined unhappily.

Looking at the spoilt map he couldn't help being a little confused, "little habiba, why are the mountains blue?"

"I thought it was the sea…you must not be good at drawing, Baba." She said in all seriousness and gave him a puzzled look, "novice." He chuckled at her, she took after her mother in every way except for her eyes, and the fact that she absolutely adored him with every single fibre of her being – Nazeera currently hated him because she was pregnant again. Planting a kiss on her head he went about tidying the mess, he one day hoped he would be able to resist the little girl's charms and tell her off like he should.

00

Altaïr couldn't help being disappointed in his eldest son; he had been cruel in what he'd said to the younger. "she would have never have left you, your mother was so love in love with you that it was impossible to keep you from her arms…she chose to spend her last hours of life with you and no one else." He had never really said much about Azurelle to the boy, just the thought of the little brunette made his heart clench painfully.

"but…aunt Nazeera said she had to go away – I didn't know…that…mama died?" the Assassin looked away from the wide hazel eyes, Shahin should not have to go on guess work to learn of his birth mother. The boy adored Maria and she adored him just the same, the woman had taken Shahin as her own son without question and if not for Nazeera rightly wanting to keep her little sister's memory alive the boy would have never known that Maria was not his mother by blood. He had gathered every memory of Azurelle and locked her away so deep in his heart that he had failed to tell her son about her.

"Come here," Shahin went to his father's side and looked curiously as Altaïr pulled his codex onto the desk he sat at in his room; he lifted the boy onto his lap and began turning the pages in quick succession until he reached a page very rarely opened. "This is Azurelle…your mother." The boy looked at the drawing, his hands unconsciously reaching for his freckled cheeks, the woman in the sketch had them too and she looked so happy. Wavy shoulder length hair, bright eyes, an oval face – was this really his own mother? "She was young when she had you, she gave up being apart of a famous Troupe to come here and raise you. She could outrun any Assassin here, her acrobatics were faultless and she was not afraid to fly through the air without a thing to safely catch her on the ground."

"She's very pretty, Baba…" Shahin smiled at the picture, he had sometimes wondered what she would look like, "aunt Nazeera always talks about her, she was clever, clumsy but not in a terrible way…she says mama was mature and strong, that she always did the right thing in the end." Altaïr nodded, seeing the picture hurt – it shamed him that he had spent so many long hours trying to capture her image and then hidden her away like a secret. "Aunt said she would not be friends with mama if not for...um, my other mama?" he was getting so confused having to call both women his mother.

He somehow managed to smile, "Nazeera and your mother, Maria," he clarified, "used to despise each other, they would fight and argue – this little thing, your birth mother, convinced Maria that she should look after Nazeera should anything bad ever happen, it took years but they eventually became friends and it would not have happened if not for Azurelle. She was crafty and always found a way to bring people together." Feeling small arms wrap around his middle, Altaïr looked down to the top of his sons head, the boy was pouting and staring up at him sweetly.

"If it makes you sad, you don't have to tell me…" Altaïr returned the embrace, despite never knowing Azurelle, Shahin often did things or said things that she would have and it shocked him so much each time, "I have her face now, that's all I need…and I know Hannan was just angry." Still, Altaïr would be having a word with his eldest son about his behaviour, unlike Malik – Altaïr could tell his children off.

Though, he could easily see why the Dai had trouble disciplining his daughter, she was notoriously good at saying the correct thing and wriggling out of trouble. Her most memorable act was after asking Malik why he only had one arm, Malik had simply replied by saying he'd lost it. She had looked confused and then answered, 'well, where did you last have it – we shall look!' no one was certain whether they were supposed to laugh or if she was being deadly serious.

Altaïr was blessed with two sons who were usually well behaved, the occasionally hiccup happened, Hannan was so much like his mother in personality, he had a temper and often wanted things his way but he was also very kind and dedicated. Shahin was a bit of a cry baby but he usually came around in the end and realised he was silly for getting upset – much like Azurelle – he was usually the calmer one of the two which infuriated the older brother because Shahin would wait where Hannan wanted to rush in.

"no, I have been unfair to you and to her," he ran his fingers reverently over the picture, "from now on, if you want to know something about her, you can ask me – I will try to answer you." Shahin's eyes lit up happily, he opened his mouth to say something but the door creaking on its hinges made both father and son look up and settle their eyes on the child hiding mostly behind the door. The Assassin beckoned his son inside and Hannan shuffled in, his eyes on the ground and his hands twisting in his black ink stained clothing. "I see you did not find your mother." Altaïr said, he knew that Maria would have had him changed before sending him to apologise.

"I stopped looking…I wanted to talk to Shahin and it couldn't wait." He glanced up at his little brother and he looked genuinely upset, "I didn't mean it…I'm sorry I said that. I didn't mean any of it! I know I'm a rubbish brother but please forgive me!" the young boy looked back at the ground and waited for the worst. Altaïr sighed as Shahin hopped off his lap and ran over to the other boy and nearly barrelled them both over as he hugged the other.

He stood and regarded them both fondly, "go find your mother and then both of you wash up – Nikil is waiting to teach you a few climbing techniques." They nodded, Hannan grabbed Shahin's wrist and they both ran from the room eager to obey their father. Altaïr took a moment to just stare down at the picture, reaching down he stroked the cheek softly before closing the book and following after his boys. He glanced at the book one last time and before he shut the door whispered into the empty room, "nam jeyid…"

000

The end!

Planning an Assassin's creed 2 fanfic soon!

Thank you to ALL of my reviewers *throws cookies for all*


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